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COPYRIGHT-I92O 

MACBETH-EVANS  GLASS  COMPANY 

PITTSBURGH    PA. 


President  1899-1916 


GEO.  D    MACBETH 
Secretary 


HOWARD  S.  EVANS 

Vice  President 


FIFTY  YEARS  OF 
GLASS  MAKING 


1869 -1Q 19 

<^-~/ 


47284 


T? 
53 


T3 


H  I 


• 


LASS  has  been  traced  by  history  and  tradi- 


tion to  remote  ages  of  the  world.  The  time 
and  place  of  its  discovery  will  probably  be 
never  more  than  mere  conjecture.  Some 
writers  would  have  us  believe  that  "Tubal 
Cain,"  mentioned  in  Genesis  4:22  as  "an  instructor  of 
every  artificer  in  brass  and  iron,"  was  the  inventor. 
Doubtless  this  opinion  finds  its  chief  basis  in  the  theory 
that  glass,  the  offspring  of  fire,  was  discovered  shortly 
after  its  progenitor. 

J>liny^the  Roman  historian  (23  A.  D.— 79  A.  D.), 
wrote  a  somewhat  different  version 
of  the  discovery  of  glass.  This 
ancient  writer,  in  his  story,  declares 
that  the  discovery  was  accidental. 
"It  is  said,"  wrote  Pliny,  "that 
some  Phoenician  merchants,  hav- 
ing landed  on  the  coast  of  Palestine, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Belus, 
were  preparing  for  their  repast,  and, 
not  finding  any  stones  on  which  to 
place  their  pots,  took  some  cakes  of  nitre  (bicarbonate  of 
soda)  from  their  cargo  for  that  purpose.  The  nitre  being 
thus  submitted  to  the  action  of  fire  with  the  sand  on 
the  shore,  they  together  produced  transparent  streams 
of  an  unknown  fluid,  and  such  was  the  origin  of  glass." 
There  are  many  who  have  taken  exception  to  Pliny's 
account  of  the  discovery  of  glass,  declaring  it  impossible 
to  produce  glass  in  the  open  air  and  under  the  conditions 
described.  However  vague  and  indefinite  the  early 
history  of  glass  may  be,  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  its 


Figure  1 


»f  glffTDir 
c   f  ^ 


Twelve 


ancient  discoverer,  unknown  and  unheralded,  gave  the 
world  one  of  its  most  important  inventions.  Destroy  all 
glass,  forget  the  methods  of  manufacture,  and  by  that 
action  you  will  sever  the  jugular  vein  of  science,  cripple 
the  great  industries  and  transform  homes  into  dark, 
poorly  lighted,  unsanitary  shelters  reminiscent  of  the 
middle  ages.  The  microscope,  marvelous  because  of  glass, 
would  be  valueless  without  it.  The  minute  organisms, 
isolated  under  the  skillful  direction  of  the  scientist,  would 
continue  to  exist  unseen.  The  telescope  without  its  won- 
derful lenses  \vould  not  reveal  the  universe  filled  with 
uncounted  heavenly  bodies,  the  knowledge  of  whose 
movements  and  characteristics  enables  the  astronomer 
to  forecast  with  uncanny  precision  natural  phenomena. 

The  constantly  increasing  use  of  glass  has  made  it  in- 
dispensable in  our  domestic,  scientific  and  industrial  lives. 
In  this  book  we  shall  attempt  to  trace  briefly  its  develop- 
ment from  known  antiquity  to  present-day  modern 
practice.  The  last  fifty  years  have  seen  the  greatest 
development  in  glass  manufacture  since  its  discovery. 
Processes  have  been  marvelously  improved.  Intricate 
machinery  has  supplanted  the  slower,  less  accurate  hand 
methods.  Laboratories  have  eliminated  to  a  great  extent 
the  element  of  chance,  which,  in  earlier  days,  and  even  in 
this  more  enlightened  period,  has  worked  much  havoc. 

There  are  innumerable  examples  of  glass,  both  in 
public  and  private  collections,  which  are  unquestionably 
of  ancient  origin,  yet  because  of  the  lack  of  proper 
inscriptions  it  is  impossible  to  classify  them  in  chrono- 
logical order. 

The  paintings  of  the  Theban 
glassmakers  reproduced  herein 
were  discovered  on  the  tombs  of 
Beni  Hassan.  These  tombs,  accord- 
ing to  authentic  records,  were  Figure  2 


Thirteen 


Figure  3 

erected  about  2000  B.  C.,  but  it  is  claimed  that  the 
paintings  were  executed  during  the  Reign  of  Onsertasen 
I  (3500  B.  C.).  Figure  1  represents  an  ancient  Theban 
taking  molten  glass  from  the  foot  of  a  furnace.  Figure  2 
shows  two  others  seated  on  the  ground,  holding  pipes 
similar  to  those  used  at  the  present  time.  The  glass 
on  the  end  of  the  pipes,  which  are  pointed  toward  the 
fire,  is  ready  to  be  blown.  Figure  3  illustrates  the 
blowing  of  a  large  glass  vase  by  two  men. 

The  glass  bead  (Figure  4)  found  by  Cap- 
tain Hervey,  of  the  Royal  English  Marines 
at  Thebes,  has  inscribed  on  it  in  hiero- 
glyphics the  name  of  Queen  Ramaka,  for 
Figure  4  whom  it  was  made.  She  was  the  wife  of 
Thoutmes  III  of  the  eighteenth  dynasty  (1500  B.  C.). 
We  find  it  definitely  established,  therefore,  that  glass 
was  being  manufactured  at  Thebes  at  this  early  date, 
and  it  is  quite  evident  that  the  industry  was  in  more 
or  less  an  advanced  stage  at  that  time. 

When  the  Roman  Emperor,  Caesar  Augustus,  con- 
quered Egypt  (26  B.  C.)  he  quickly  recognized  the 
commercial  value  of  glass  and  ordered  that  it  should 
form  part  of  the  tribute  which  he  imposed  upon  the 
conquered  country.  This  had  the  extraordinary  and 
paradoxical  effect  of  stimulating  the  Egyptian  glass 
industry.  The  Romans,  eager  for  novelty,  bought 


Fourteen 


freely  of  the  product  of  the  Egyptian  glassmakers, 
with  the  result  that  this  industry  flourished  until 
the  Reign  of  Tiberius  (14  A.  D.),  when,  according 
to  Pliny,  the  Romans  began  the  manufacture  of  glass 
in  their  own  country.  With  characteristic  intelligence 
and  industry,  they  assimilated  the  knowledge  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  within  a  comparatively  short  time 
Roman  glass  rivaled  that  of  Egyptian  origin.  Recog- 
nizing that  the  perpetuity  of  the 
industry  depended  upon  wide- 
spread demand,  glass  was  made 
into  many  dissimilar  articles  hav- 
ing broad  application.  Bottles,* 
drinking  glasses,  vases  and  toilet 
articles,  many  of  which  bear  a 
striking  resemblance  to  those  of 
the  present  day,  were  produced  by 
these  early  Roman  glassmakers. 

WherL.  ancient  Gaul  fell  under 
the  yoke  of  the  conquering  Roman 
it  was  most  natural  that  the  art  of 
glass  making  should  be  introduced  into  the  new  prov- 
inces. That  the  Gauls  were  adept  students  and  later  be- 
came in  some  respects  superior  to  their  Roman  masters  is 
evidenced  by  the  works  of  art  which  have  been  unearthed 
in  the  ancient  provinces  of  France.  Probably  the  best 
example  of  the  skill  of  these  ancient  Gallic  glassmakers 
is  the  Strassbourg  vase  found  in  a  coffin  excavated  by 
chance  near  the  glacis  of  Strassbourg.  It  bears  the  name 
of  Maximianu  Herculius,  a  Roman  emperor  (250  A.  D. 
—310  A.  D.).  The  difficulties  overcome  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  this  vase  clearly  indicate  that  glass  making 
was  highly  developed  at  this  period. 

When  Rome  and  many  of  her  provinces  were  overrun 
by  the  barbarous  Huns,    they   ruthlessly   devastated 


Strassbourg  Vase 


Fifteen 


and  destroyed  the  industries  of  the  conquered  country, 
with  the  result  that  we  find  that  glass  making  became 
a  lost  art  in  the  West  for  several  centuries. 

Constantine  the  Great  (274  A.  D.— 337  A.  D.),  when 
the  glass  industry  died  in  the  West,  hastened  to  offer 
alluring  inducements  to  the  skilled  workmen  in  that 
part  of  the  world  to  come  to  Byzantium  (Constanti- 
nople), the  seat  of  his  Empire.  With  the  encouragement 
of  Constantine,  and  also  of  Theodosius  III,  who  reigned 
from  408  A.  D.  to  450  A.  D.,  the  manufacture  of  glass 
became  an  important  industry.  This  monopoly  of  the 
East  was  not  overcome  by  the  West  until  the  fourteenth 
century,  when  Venice  became  a  factor.  For  several 
centuries  the  Venetian  Republic  maintained  its  leader- 
ship as  the  principal  producer  of  glass.  In  order  to 
more  closely  supervise  the  industry,  to  guard  its 
secrets  and  to  break  the  contact  of  the  workmen  with 
foreign  countries,  all  the  glass  workers  w^ere  confined 
to  the  Island  of  Murano,  which  is  separated  from 
Venice  by  a  narrow  strip  of  water.  Marco  Polo,  in  his 
travels  in  the  Far  East,  discovered  the  rich  markets  of 
Tartary,  India  and  China,  where  the 
natives  were  fond  of  false  pearls  and 
imitation  gems.  Venice  quickly  took 
advantage  of  these  new  markets,  with 
the  result  that  the  city  became  wealthy 
because  of  its  glass  trade.  The  Ger- 
mans,  in  spite  of  the  attempted  mon- 
opoly of  the  Venetians,  began  at  this 
period  to  manufacture  glass  in  their 
own  country.  Their  product  was  heavy 
and  ungraceful— in  contrast  with  Vene- 
tian glass,  which  was  noted  for  its  fine 
and  light  filigree  work  and  for  its  color. 
The  German  decorations  were  put 


German  Glass 


Sixteen 


Venetian  Glass 


on  with  enamel  and  were,  for  the 
most  part,  reproductions  of  coats 
of  arms.  The  German  glass- 
makers  of  this  time  were  re- 
sponsible for  many  valuable 
formulas,  among  which  was  the 
one  for  making  a  beautiful  ruby 
red,  discovered  in  the  early  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Bohenjia  followed  Germany 
closely  in  the  establishment  of 
her  own  glass  works.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  the  Bohe- 
mian manufacturers  were  mak- 
ing glass  of  a  clearness  superior  to  any  previously 
manufactured.  About  1609  Gaspar  Lehmann,  a  Bohe- 
mian, invented  a  new  method  of  decoration — that  of 
engraving  on  glass.  This  new  decoration  revolutionized 
the  industry,  and  \vhile  the  Bohemian  glass  of  this  time 
was  clear  and  light  in  weight,  it  unfortunately  lacked 
brilliancy.  It  did,  however,  possess  an  originality 
which  was  not  always  in  good  taste 
but  for  which  there  was  a  demand  be- 
cause of  its  peculiar  individuality. 

England  neglected  the  glass  indus- 
try during  the  middle  ages,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  Reign  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth that  glass  was  made  in  that 
country.  This  famous  queen  invited 
Cornelius  de  Lannoy  to  London  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  a  glass 
works,  and  he  was  responsible  for  the 
first  glass  made  in  the  British  Isles. 

Bohemian  Glaas 


Seventeen 


I 


Harper's  Encyclopedia  of 

United  States  History 

Copyright,  1901,  by  Harper 

&  Brothers.  All  rights  reserved. 


JAMESTOWN   IN  1622 


Eighteen 


GLASS      INDUSTRY 
IN    AMERICA 


LASS  making  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being 
one  of  the  earliest  industries  introduced  in 
the  new  world. 

In  1607  the  first  glass  furnace  was  erected 
about  a  mile  distant  from  Jamestown, 
Va.  The  product  was  confined  to  bottles.  The  second 
plant  was  erected  in  1620  to  manufacture  glass  beads, 
which  were  used  extensively  at  that  time  in  trading 
with  the  Indians.  Both  works  were  destroyed  in  the 
great  massacre  of  1622. 

The  next  attempt  to  make  glass  in  America  was  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  where  a  plant  was  built  in  1639  to 
produce  bottles  and  other  articles. 

In  Pennsylvania  the  first  mention 
of  glass  making  was  found  in  a 
letter  written  by  William  Penn  in 
August,  1683,  to  the  Free  Society  of 
Traders.  The  location  of  the  works 
and  the  product  unfortunately  were 
not  disclosed. 

Two  glass  factories  were  in  operation  in  New  York 


Glass  Beads  Made  at 
Jamestown,  Va.,  1621-1625 


Nineteen 


City  in  1732.  Seven  years  later  the  first  glass  works 
in  New  Jersey  was  built  by  Caspar  Wistar  about  one 
mile  east  of  Allowaystown,  Salem  County.  In  1775  the 
failure  of  this  enterprise  resulted  in  the  workmen  mov- 
ing to  Glassboro,  N.  J.,  and  establishing  a  new  factory. 
The  glass  works  now  in  operation  in  that  city  is  a 
development  from  the  factory  built  in  1775  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  continuously  operated  glass  plants  in 
America. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  number 
of  glass  factories  had  been  erected  throughout  what  is 
now  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  early  American  glass 
manufacturers  discovered  that  it  was  important  in  the 
economic  production  of  glass  to  locate  in  a  section  of 
the  country  which  could,  from  its  natural  resources, 
furnish  proper  fuel.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  Western 
Pennsylvania,  and  particularly  the  Pittsburgh  district, 
showed  such  phenomenal  growth  as  a  glass  center 
during  the  19th  century. 

The  celebrated  American  statesman,  Albert  Gallatin, 
has  the  distinction  of  establishing  the  first  glass  works 

in  Western  Pennsylvania.  His 
plant  was  located  about  sixty  miles 
above  Pittsburgh  on  the  Monon- 
gahela  River  and  began  in  1787  to 
manufacture  window  glass.  In  1795 
the  first  glass  works  was  built  in 
Pittsburgh  and  was  known  as 
"Scott's"  —  located  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Monongahela  River. 
The  product  of  this  factory  was 
chiefly  window  glass. 

In    1797    GejiexaLOJiara  and 
Major  Craig  erected  a  plant  near 


class  Tumbler 


Twenty 


Molded  Bottle 
Early  Nineteenth  Century 


' '  Scott's. ' '  These  men  have  been  gen- 
erally recognized  as  the  pioneers  in 
the  glass  industry  in  Pittsburgh.  The 
success  of  O'Hara  and  Craig  quickly 
attracted  others,  with  the  result  that 
we  find  the  glass  industry  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh district  in  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  showing  a  devel- 
opment clearly  indicative  of  the  ul- 
timate dominating  position  of  Pitts- 
burgh as  a  glass  center. 

In  the  period  dating  from  the  re- 
construction days  of  the  Civil  War 
down  to  the  present  time  the  glass  industry  has 
undergone  many  revolutionary  changes.  No  similar 
space  of  time  in  the  history  of  glass  making  records  the 
same  number  of  epoch-making  improvements  in  machin- 
ery and  methods. 

As  in  every  great  industry  there  are  certain  dominat- 
ing influences  which  have  contributed  most  to  its 
advancement.  Because  of  this  fact,  the  history  of  the 
Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company  is  interesting  to  the 
reader  who  knows  in  a  general  way  that  this  company 
has  been  an  important  contributor  to  the  advancement 
of  the  art  of  glass  making  during  the  time  of  its  greatest 
development.  It  was  with  this  fact  in  mind  that  the 
history  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company  has  been 
written. 


Twenty-one 


PITTSBURGH   IN  1869 


THE 
FOUNDERS 


N  1869,  at  the  foot  of  Gist  Street,  in  that 
part  of  Pittsburgh  known  as  the  Bluff,  Thos. 
Evans  established  a  glass  works  which 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company.  The  plant  was 
operated  under  the  name  of  Reddick  &  Company. 

In  1872,  three  years  later,  Geo.  A.  Macbeth,  with 
several  associates,  purchased  the  Keystone  Flint  Glass 
Works,  Second  and  Try  Streets,  Pittsburgh,  known  as 
the  "Dolly  Varden."  The  company  operating  the 
plant  was  called  Muzzy  &  Company. 

The  melting  equipment  of  the  plant  of  Thos.  Evans 
consisted  of  one  ten-pot  furnace,  and  the  output  was 
confined  to  handmade  chimneys.  A  ten-pot  furnace  also 
completed  the  melting  equipment  of  Geo.  A.  Macbeth's 
first  glass  works.  The  product,  however,  consisted 
of  handmade  chimneys,  reflectors  and  lantern  globes. 
Thus  we  find  the  beginnings  of  a  great  glass  company 
like  that  of  many  of  the  world's  greatest  industrial 
institutions  of  today — modest,  and  for  the  most  part 
financed  by  perseverance  and  courage. 

Before  tracing  the  development  of  each  of  these 
companies  to  the  time  when  they  were  merged  in  1899, 
forming  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  it  will  be 
interesting  to  know  something  of  the  early  careers  of 
the  founders. 


Twenty-three 


Georde  Alexander  Macbeth 


j]EO.  A.  MACBETH  was  born  in  Urbana, 
Ohio,  October  29,  1845,  the  son  of  James 
Reed  and  Frances  Ann  Macbeth.  Edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
he  moved  at  an  early  age  to  Springfield, 
Ohio.  Here  he  secured  employment  in  a  retail  drug 
store  and  it  was  while  compounding  prescriptions  that 
he  gained  his  first  knowledge  of  chemistry,  the  study  of 
which  he  continued  unceasingly  throughout  his  long  and 
successful  career. 

Recognizing  the  limitations  of  the  work  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  Mr.  Macbeth  began  to  look  for  an  opening 
which  would  give  him  an  opportunity  for  greater 
development  and  ultimately  more  remuneration.  It 
was  not  long  after  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  leave 
Springfield  that  fate  opened  the  way  for  him  to  go 
either  to  Cincinnati  or  Pittsburgh,  selling  opportunities 
being  offered  him  in  these  cities.  In  deciding  to  go  to 
Pittsburgh,  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  disclosed  some  of  the 
uncanny  foresight  which  stood  him  in  good  stead  in 
later  years. 

After  coming  to  Pittsburgh  he  sold  the  products  of 
B.  F.  Fahnestock  Company,  wholesale  druggists; 
Armstrong  Cork  Company,  manufacturers  of  cork 
products;  W.  H.  Hamilton,  bottle  maker,  and  the 
Keystone  Flint  Glass  Works,  whose  product  was  lead 
lamp  chimneys.  About  1872  the  last  named  company 
became  financially  involved.  With  several  associates 
Mr.  Macbeth  bought  their  plant,  which  was  located  at 
Second  and  Try  Streets,  and  began  the  operation  of  this 
factory  in  1872  under  the  name  of  Muzzy  &  Company. 

Twenty-four 


This  marked  the  beginning  of  the  career  of  George 
Alexander  Macbeth  as  a  glass  manufacturer.  How 
successful  he  was  is  very  fitly  expressed  in  the  following 
extract  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Engineers  Society  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  published  after  Mr.  Macbeth's 
death  on  February  11,  1916: 

"Geo.  A.  Macbeth  had  a  good  schooling  experience  at  various 
institutions  prior  to  his  arrival  in  Pittsburgh  in  1862  to  engage 
in  business.  What  difficulties  he  overcame  and  how,  after  1862, 
he  labored  to  perfect  himself  in  his  chosen  field  of  glass  making, 
we  are  not  told,  but  we  may  be  sure  that  it  required  an  inflexible 
purpose  and  diligent  effort  on  his  part  to  emerge,  as  he  did  in 
1872,  as  a  glass  manufacturer. 

"Almost  from  the  start  he  commenced  those  improvements 
in  the  composition  and  manipulation  of  glassware  used  for 
lighting  purposes,  which  at  once  attracted  attention  and  brought 
to  his  name  a  fame  which  spread  all  over  the  country  and  even- 
tually reached  all  regions  of  the  globe  where  American  refined 
oils  were  used. 

"When  one  thinks  of  this  illimitable  field  of  enterprise — true 
not  monopolized  by  any  one  firm,  but  having  regard  to  the 
commercial  value  of  a  name — there  was  here  offered  to  Mr. 
Macbeth  an  opportunity  for  becoming  the  head  of  a  legitimate 
trust  of  vast  capitalization.  W7ith  him,  however,  the  advance- 
ment of  personal  wealth  was  secondary  to  his  desire  to  explore 
ways  for  advancing  knowledge  in  his  chosen  sphere.  The 
inauguration  of  the  Carnegie  Institute  in  this  city  with  its 
department  of  Science,  Art  and  Literature  brought  together 
a  group  of  the  best  equipped  minds  and  the  most  noted  scientific 
workers  of  western  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Macbeth  was  intimately 
associated  with  the  men  of  this  group  and  enjoyed  their  esteem, 
as  he  did  also  that  of  Mr.  Carnegie,  to  the  fullest  extent.  Besides 
Mr.  Macbeth's  interest  in  applied  science,  he  was  an  authority 
and  critic  of  no  mean  rank  on  etchings  and  engravings.  He  was 
very  active  in  bringing  about  the  vast  extension  of  the  great 
building  and  especially  the  enlargement  of  the  library  and  the 
establishment  of  its  branches  throughout  the  city." 


Twenty-five 


Thomas  Evans 


JHOS.  EVANS  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  on 
October  5,  1842,  the  son  of  Evan  and 
Eleanor  Jones  Evans.  His  father  and 
mother  had  come  to  the  United  States  from 
Wales  in  1835  and  settled  at  Ebensburg, 
Pa.,  moving  a  few  years  later  to  Pittsburgh,  where  Thos. 
Evans  was  born.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six.  In 
1856  his  father,  who  was  employed  as  a  mechanic 
in  the  glass  works  of  Bakewell,  Pears  &  Company,  was 
killed  in  a  fly-wheel  accident.  Thos.  Evans,  who  was 
thirteen  years  old  at  the  time,  was  compelled  to  leave 
school  and  accept  writh  his  brothers  the  responsibility 
of  providing  for  the  family.  His  mother  having  died 
seven  years  before  his  father  made  the  task  all  the 
greater.  With  characteristic  courage,  however,  he 
assumed  the  burden  which  fell  upon  his  youthful 
shoulders. 

His  first  position  was  with  Bakewell,  Pears  &  Com- 
pany, where  he  was  employed  as  an  errand  boy  at  a 
salary  of  $6.00  per  month.  He  took  up  his  duties  on 
Wednesday,  and  on  Saturday  he  received  his  first 
pay,  which  consisted  of  one  gold  dollar.  He  has  often 
said  that  he  has  not  seen  a  dollar  since  quite  as  large 
as  that  one. 

He  continued  in  the  employ  of  Bakewell,  Pears  & 
Company  until  1862,  when  he  became  associated  as  a 
salesman  with  \Villiam  N.  Ogden  &  Company,  dealers 
in  oil  and  lamp  chimneys,  located  at  Liberty  and  Wood 
Streets.  In  1863  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  for  one  year,  during  which  time  he  was 
employed  as  a  salesman  by  S.  S.  Barrie  &  Company, 


Twenty-six 


large  retailers  of  oil  lamps  and  glassware.  Return- 
ing to  Pittsburgh  he  was  successively  employed  by 
Wallace  &  Company,  who  had  a  retail  store  on  Wood 
Street,  and  Atterbury  &  Company,  large  glass  manu- 
facturers at  that  time.  Just  previous  to  the  organization 
of  his  own  company  in  1869  he  was  with  Fry,  Semple  & 
Reynolds,  who  operated  a  glass  plant  at  the  foot  of 
Seventeenth  Street  on  the  South  Side.  The  diversified 
experience  which  he  gained  in  being  associated  with 
both  the  retail  and  manufacturing  branches  of  the  glass 
industry  provided  him  with  the  foundation  upon  which 
his  later  career  was  built. 

Those  who  have  been  associated  with  Thos.  Evans 
over  a  long  period  of  time  can  best  appreciate  the 
sterling  qualities  which  eventually  brought  him  recogni- 
tion as  one  of  the  outstanding  figures  in  the  glass 
industry  in  America. 

The  history  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company 
and  of  Mr.  Evans's  earlier  venture  in  glass  making 
reveals  to  only  a  small  extent  his  genius  for  organization 
and  finance.  His  has  always  been  an  indomitable  will 
plus  a  high  type  of  courage,  primary  essentials  in  the 
pioneer  days  of  his  career,  and  contributing  factors  to 
the  success  of  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  of  which 
he  was  treasurer  from  1899  to  1916,  when  he  became 
president. 


Twenty-seven 


Development  of  the 

Thomas  Evans 

Company 


EDDICK&  COMPANY,  organized  in  1869 
by  Thos.  Evans,  was  capitalized  at  $14,- 
000.00,  the  stock  being  owned  by  Thos. 
Evans,  James  Reddick  and  fifteen  skilled 
glass  workers.  After  operating  for  three 
years,  it  developed  that  the  continued  existence  of  the 
company  necessitated  the  removal  of  the  works  to  the 
south  side  of  the  Monongahela  River.  This  was  because 
the  more  favorable  labor  conditions  in  that  section  made 
it  possible  to  operate  a  glass  plant  with  greater  economy. 
After  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  situation,  Mr.  Evans 
found  that  the  works  of  Fahnestock,  Fortune  &  Com- 
pany, located  at  Josephine  and  Twenty-second  Streets, 
could  be  purchased  for  $35,000.00.  A  glimpse  of  the 
courage  of  this  man  is  revealed  in  the  fact  that  but 
$5,000.00  was  paid  in  cash,  the  balance  being  repre- 
sented by  notes.  It  was  a  noteworthy  transaction 
and,  because  of  the  lack  of  money,  extremely  difficult 
to  handle.  The  fact  that  Thos.  Evans  was  barely 
thirty  years  of  age  at  the  time  he  negotiated  this  deal 
shows  that  his  genius  for  organization  and  finance 
was  developed  at  an  early  date.  The  new  plant  was 
the  largest  lamp  chimney  factory  in  Pittsburgh,  operat- 
ing sixty  shops. 


Twenty-eight 


#"    '-X    r 

- 


'•*  J   * 

?£«2g* 


"  "       ^===-"1         "r- 

*  tl"'--. 


Works  at  18th  and  Josephine  Sts.,  Thos.  Evans  &  Co. 

In  1873  James  Reddick  retired  and  the  name  of  the 
company  was  changed  to  Evans,  Sell  &  Company.  In 
1877  a  machine  known  as  the  "Patent  Crimper"  was 
invented.  The  introduction  of  this  machine  had  the 
immediate  effect  of  greatly  increasing  production  and 
reducing  costs  correspondingly.  Quickly  recognizing 
the  necessity  of  having  this  machine  in  his  factory  in 
order  to  meet  competition,  Mr.  Evans  secured  a 
license  to  use  the  "Patent  Crimper."  The  workmen 
were  not  in  sympathy  with  any  improvement  tending 
toward  the  increase  of  production,  laboring  under  the 
delusion  that  it  would  result  in  fewer  employees  as 
well  as  less  work.  The  conditions  outlined  by  the 
workers  under  which  they  would  operate  the  machine 
were  so  unreasonable  that  they  could  not  be  accepted. 
The  men  quit  work  and  very  quickly  a  general  strike 
spread  through  all  the  factories  operating  patent 


Twenty-nine 


Employees  of  the  18th  St.  Works,  Thos.  Evans  &  Co. 

crimping  machines.  The  fifteen  glass  workers  who 
owned  stock  in  Evans,  Sell  &  Company  refused  to  work, 
thus  creating  an  unpleasant  situation.  Mr.  Evans 
made  a  proposition  to  them  for  the  purchase  of  their 
interests,  which  was  accepted.  The  firm  name  was 
then  changed  to  Evans  &  Company.  Because  of  the 
determined  stand  taken  by  the  workmen,  it  was  evident 
that  the  strike  would  be  of  long  duration.  What  to  do 
under  the  circumstances  was  a  problem.  With  his 
characteristic  ability  to  think  straight  and  decide 
promptly,  Mr.  Evans  determined  to  secure  a  factory  in 
another  city  which  could  be  operated  temporarily  and 
thus  maintain  the  identity  of  his  company  with  the 
trade  during  the  time  his  Pittsburgh  plant  was  closed. 
A  careful  search  disclosed  an  idle  glass  works  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Chicago.  Leasing  this  plant  he 
secured  workmen  from  widely  separated  sections  of 
the  country  and  within  a  short  time  had  the  factory  in 
operation.  Desperate  attempts  were  made  to  prevent 
the  operation  of  the  works,  but  in  spite  of  the  great 
difficulties  encountered,  Mr.  Evans,  although  his  life 
was  in  danger  almost  constantly,  kept  the  plant  going 


Thirty 


for  about  one  year,  when  the  strikers  made  overtures 
looking  toward  a  settlement.  After  several  conferences  a 
compromise  was  effected,  the  result  of  which  was  the 
immediate  abandonment  of  the  Chicago  works  and  the 
resumption  of  operations  at  the  Pittsburgh  factory. 

In  1881  Mr.  Evans  sold  his  interest  in  the  company 
and  erected  in  the  same  year  a  plant  at  Josephine  and 
Eighteenth  Streets,  operating  under  the  name  of 
Thos.  Evans  &  Co.  The  melting  equipment  of  the  new 
factory  consisted  of  a  large  fifteen-pot  furnace.  The 
business  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  order  to  meet  the 
demand  for  his  product  Mr.  Evans  leased  the  factory 
owned  at  one  time  by  his  former  employers,  Frye, 
Semple  &  Reynolds,  located  at  the  foot  of  Seventeenth 
Street  on  the  South  Side.  In  1887  the  Thos.  Evans 
Company  was  incorporated. 

In  1890  the  development  of  the  natural  gas  field  in 
Indiana  gave  the  glass  manufacturers  an  opportunity 
to  obtain  fuel  at  small  cost,  and  many  factories  removed 
to  that  section.  To  meet  the  competition  of  these  plants, 
Mr.  Evans  in  1892  established  a  works  near  Marion, 
Indiana.  The  new  plant  contained  three  fifteen-pot 
furnaces.  Coincident  with  the  opening  of  the  Marion 
works,  the  Seventeenth  Street  factory  was  discontinued. 
Forty-five  pots  at  Marion  and  fifteen  pots  in  opera- 
tion at  the  plant  on  Eighteenth  Street,  Pittsburgh, 
making  a  total  of  sixty  pots,  made  the  Thos.  Evans 
Company  the  largest  lamp  chimney  manufacturers  in 
the  world. 

The  production  of  the  Thos.  Evans  Company  reached 
the  enormous  total  at  that  time  of  12,000,000  lamp 
chimneys  a  year.  The  factories  of  the  company  pro- 
duced in  addition  to  lamp  chimneys  large  quantities 
of  lantern  globes  and  oil  lamp  shades  as  well  as  other 
illuminating  glass.  One  historian  of  the  time  visualized 


Thirty-one 


Group  of  Employees  of  the  Thos.  Evans  Company 


the  output  of  the  Thos.  Evans  Company  in  the  state- 
ment that  the  production  laid  in  line  would  reach  1500 
miles— built  up  as  a  ten-foot  hollow  square  it  would 
form  a  chimney  over  nine  miles  high. 

The  use  of  colored  decorations  in  the  forms  of 
wreaths,  flowers,  landscapes  and  marine  views  on  lamp 
chimneys  and  shades  became  popular  about  1885. 
The  demand  for  these  decorated  chimneys  became  so 
widespread  that  within  a  comparatively  short  time 
the  Thos.  Evans  Company  were  decorating  4,000,000 
chimneys  and  shades  a  year,  employing  seventy-five 
to  a  hundred  women  for  this  work  alone. 

The  Thos.  Evans  Company  continued  to  maintain 
its  leadership  as  the  largest  lamp  chimney  manufac- 
turers in  the  world  until  1899,  when  it  was  combined  with 
the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company,  forming  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company. 


Thirty-two 


Development  of  the 

George  A.Macbeth 

Company 


HE  melting  equipment  of  Muzzy  &  Com- 
pany organized  by  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  in 
1872  consisted  of  a  ten-pot  furnace.  The 
employees  numbered  about  150.  The 
plant  was  generally  known  throughout  the 
glass  industry  by  the  nickname  "Dolly  Varden." 

In  1880  the  factory  of  Atterbury  &  Company,  known 
as  the  "White  House"  and  located  at  Tenth  and  Carson 
Streets,  South  Side,  was  leased  and  operated  by  Mr. 
Macbeth  under  the  name  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  &  Company. 
The  output,  which  was  confined  to  lead  glass  chimneys, 
reflectors  and  lantern  globes,  was  melted  in  a  ten-pot 
furnace. 

In  1881  Muzzy  &  Company,  operating  the  Keystone 
Flint  Glass  Works,  and  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  &  Company 
were  absorbed  in  a  corporation  which  was  called  the 
Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company.  The  principal  owners 
were  Geo.  A.  Macbeth,  Harry  Darlington,  W.  G.  Muzzy 
and  C.  Z.  F.  Rott.  Coincident  with  the  formation  of 
the  new  company,  the  plant  at  Second  and  Try  Streets 
was  abandoned. 

In  1882  the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company,  in  the  plant 
at  Tenth  and  Carson  Streets,  built  a  fourteen-pot 


Thirty-three 


"White  House"  Employees,  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company 

"Deep  Eye"  furnace,  the  largest  melting  unit  of  its 
kind  in  the  United  States  at  that  time.  After  the 
completion  of  this  furnace  this  company  began  the 
manufacture  of  colored  lantern  globes,  signal  glasses, 
lenses  and  roundels,  for  railroad  and  marine  use. 
It  was  in  the  making  of  these  products  that  Mr.  Mac- 
beth gave  expression  to  his  unceasing  study  of  glass 
chemistry  and  his  desire  to  reach  ultimately  the  position 
of  being  able  to  manufacture  everything  for  industrial, 
scientific  and  illuminating  purposes. 

In  1886  a  factory  located  at  Eighth  and  Sarah  Streets 
was  purchased  from  Adams  &  Company.  The  melting 
capacity  of  this  plant  was  limited  to  a  ten-pot  furnace 
and  its  product  was  confined  to  lead  glass  chimneys. 

In  the  year  1883  Mr.  Macbeth  secured  the  design 
patent  under  which  he  manufactured  chimneys  which 
he  marketed  as  "Pearl  Top."  This  patent  covered  the 
decoration  consisting  .of  thirty-six  beads  or  pearls 
around  the  top  of  the  Number  1  chimney  and  forty 


Thirty-four 


beads  or  pearls  on  the  Number  2  chimney.  "Pearl  Top" 
chimneys  continue  to  be  manufactured  that  way  to 
this  day. 

Mr.  Macbeth's  merchandising  instinct  quickly  recog- 
nized the  possibilities  of  trade-marking  and  advertising 
these  chimneys.  He  engaged  the  services  of  an  adver- 
tising agency  in  St.  Louis  and  during  the  first  year  his 
appropriation  totaled  $25,000.00.  Compared  to  the 
mammoth  advertising  appropriations  of  the  present 
day,  this  amount  seems  insignificant.  In  those  early 
pioneer  times  when  advertising  was  frowned  upon  by 
many  of  the  old-established  companies  who  believed 
it  to  be  an  instrument  employed  chiefly  to  exploit 
patent  medicines  and  fake  schemes,  the  spending  of  this 
amount  of  money  to  advertise  a  lamp  chimney  was 
exceptionally  daring  and  a  decided  deviation  from 
the  ordinary  selling  methods.  There  were  many  who 
believed  that  it  would  ultimately  ruin  his  business, 
but  notwithstanding  the  criticism  of  his  friends  and 
competitors,  the  advertising  was  continued  year  after 
year  with  splendid  results. 

In  1886  Mr.  Macbeth  engaged  the  services  of  John 
E.  Powers,  who  was  the  outstanding  figure  in  the 
advertising  world  at  that  time.  Working  together, 
these  two  men  outlined  an  advertising  and  selling  cam- 
paign for  "Pearl  Top"  and  "Pearl  Glass"  lamp  chimneys 
which  made  these  chimneys  famous  the  world  over. 
The  unusual  copy  used  in  the  advertisements  created 
widespread  comment.  Particularly  was  this  true  of  the 
car  cards  used  in  the  New  York  Elevated  Railroads. 
These  were  always  placed  at  the  end  of  the  car  where 
they  were  easily  seen.  Some  of  the  early  advertise- 
ments are  reproduced  on  the  following  page. 

In  1890,  wishing  to  take  advantage  of  the  cheap  fuel 
available  because  of  the  gas  development  in  Indiana, 

Thirty-five 


One  chimney  a  year  is 
enough  for  a  lamp,  if  you 
get  the  right  chimney. 

MACBETH 


a  factory  was  built  at  Elwood,  Indiana.  Two  fifteen- 
pot  furnaces  completed  the  melting  capacity  and  the 
product  consisted  of  paste  mold  lead  lam-p  chimneys. 
It  was  in  the  Elwood  plant  in  1891  that  optical  glass 
was  first  successfully  produced  in  the  United  States. 
This  was  a  signal  triumph  and  was  accomplished  in 
spite  of  the  doubts  of  the  instrument  makers  and  other 
users  that  optical  glass  equal  in  quality  to  the  imported 
could  be  made  in  America.  A  one-pot  furnace  for 
melting  the  glass  was  built  and  skilled  workmen  were 
secured  at  great  expense.  Optical  glass  of  excellent 
quality  was  produced,  but  unfortunately  labor  in 
foreign  countries  was  so  much  cheaper  that  it  was 
impossible  to  compete  with  the  imported  glass  inas- 
much as  most  of  it  came  in  duty  free  or  nearly  so.  In 
addition,  the  American  instrument  makers  agreed 
among  themselves  to  buy  only  foreign  glass.  The  folly 
of  refusing  protection  to  this  industry  was  demon- 
strated during  the  late  war,  when  frantic  attempts  were 
made  to  make  optical  glass.  Had  the  industry  been 
fostered,  there  would  have  been  plenty  of  optical  glass 
for  the  instruments  used  by  the  army  and  navy. 

After  losing  three  sets  of  six-inch  lenses  which  he 
was  making  for  the  Tokio  Observatory  at  Tokio,  Japan, 
during  the  grinding  process,  Dr.  John  A.  Brashear 
appealed  to  Mr.  Macbeth  for  assistance.  Optical  glass 
made  at  the  Elwood  plant  of  the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth 
Company  was  sent  to  Dr.  Brashear,  and  from  it  the 

Thirty -six 


Employees  at  the  "White  House,"  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Co. 

lenses  now  used  in  Tokio  Observatory  were  ground  and 
polished. 

The  high  quality  of  the  products  of  the  Geo.  A. 
Macbeth  Company  was  recognized  at  the  International 
Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  the  Exposition 
Universelle  in  1889  at  Paris,  France,  and  at  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition  at  Chicago  in  1892.  Reproductions 
of  the  certificates  awarded  to  the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth 
Company  are  shown  on  page  44. 

In  1894  two  fourteen-pot  furnaces  were  added  to 
the  melting  equipment  of  the  plant  at  Charleroi,  Pa. 
The  factory  known  as  the  " White  House"  at  South 
Tenth  and  Carson  Streets  was  abandoned  in  1895, 
leaving  three  plants  operated  by  the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth 
Company:  Charleroi,  Pa.;  Elwood,  Ind.,  and  the 
factory  at  Eighth  and  Sarah  Streets,  South  Side, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  These  factories  were  in  operation  at 
the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass 
Company  and  were  taken  over  by  the  new  corporation. 

These  plants  are  still  operated  with  the  exception 
of  the  factory  located  at  Eighth  and  Sarah  Streets, 
which  was  sold  in  1920.  The  disposal  of  this  works 
marked  the  passing  of  one  of  the  historical  glass  plants 
of  the  South  Side  of  Pittsburgh. 


4  7Z84 


Thirty-seven 


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• 


Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company 


T  is  generally  conceded  that  the  two  most 
powerful  influences  giving  the  greatest  im- 
petus to  the  manufacture  of  glass  during 
the  last  fifty  years  were  (1)  the  substi- 
tution of  gas  for  coal  and  (2)  the  invention 
of  the  glass-blowing  machine. 

When  coal  was  used  for  fuel  it  gave  off  sulphur  fumes 
which  destroyed  the  brilliancy  of  the  glass.  This 
defect  was  overcome  by  the  use  of  gas,  with  the  result 
that  we  find  a  contemporary  writer  stating  that  the 
new  fuel  will  "cause  ultimately  Pittsburgh  glass  to 
surpass  the  wonders  of  old  Venice  and  the  Bohemian's 
best  work."  The  second  influence,  the  invention  of  the 
glass-blowing  machine  by  M.  J.  Owens,  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
made  it  possible  to  increase  the  production  of  lamp 
chimneys  and  other  articles  many  fold  over  what  could 
be  made  by  hand.  The  patent  on  this  machine  was 
owned  by  the  Toledo  Glass  Company,  which  operated 
a  factory  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  under  the  name  of  the 
American  Lamp  Chimney  Company.  It  can  readily  be 
seen  that  the  invention  of  this  machine  would  cause 
much  concern  on  the  part  of  glass  manufacturers 
inasmuch  as  it  was  not  possible  to  compete  with  it 
successfully. 

Realizing  that  the  continued  existence  of  their 
respective  companies  depended  upon  securing  the 
ownership  of  this  patent,  Mr.  Thomas  Evans  and 
Mr.  George  A.  Macbeth  in  1899  formed  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company,  which  in  turn  absorbed  the 
American  Lamp  Chimney  Company,  taking  over  the 
patents  on  the  Owens  glass-blowing  machine.  The 


Thirty-nine 


Reception 
Hall 


new  company  was  capitalized  at  $2,000,000.00.  This 
was  probably  the  largest  single  transaction  which  had 
taken  place  in  the  glass  industry  in  America  up  to 
that  time. 

Shortly  after  the  incorporation  of  the  new  company, 
the  Hogan-Evans  Company,  whose  plant  was  located 
at  Twenty-second  and  Josephine  Streets,  was  pur- 
chased. The  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company,  at  the  time 
of  the  merger,  operated  a  factory  at  Charleroi,  Pa., 
containing  three  twelve-pot  furnaces  and  a  plant  at 
Elwood,  Indiana,  which  had  two  fifteen-pot  furnaces 
and  one  twelve-pot  furnace.  A  third  plant  located  in 
Pittsburgh  operated  one  twelve-pot  furnace,  making 
a  total  in  all  of  ninety  pots. 

The  Thomas  Evans  Company  at  this  time  was 
operating  one  fifteen-pot  furnace  in  the  plant  at  Eight- 
eenth and  Josephine  Streets,  Pittsburgh;  three  fifteen- 
pot  furnaces  in  the  factory  at  Marion,  Indiana,  and 
two  ten-pot  furnaces  in  the  Seventeenth  Street  Works, 
making  a  total  of  eighty  pots.  Immediately  after  the 
Owens  patent  was  acquired  together  with  the  American 
Lamp  Chimney  Company,  whose  capacity  was  limited 
to  one  sixteen-pot  furnace  and  one  fourteen-pot  furnace, 
the  Seventeenth  Street  Works  was  abandoned,  making 
the  total  of  180  pots  as  the  capacity  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  at  the  time  that  it  really  began 
operation.  Shortly  after  the  company  was  formed  a 
continuous  tank  with  a  working  capacity  equivalent  to 
thirty  pots  was  built  at  Charleroi  Works.  In  1902  the 
fourth  furnace  was  built  in  the  same  factory7.  When  this 
furnace  was  completed  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Com- 
pany began  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  glass  for 
illumination. 

The  most  important  feature  in  connection  with  the 
formation  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  aside 


Forty-one 


Display  Room 


from  the  purchase  of  the  Owens  glass-blowing  machine, 
was  the  bringing  together  of  Mr.  George  A.  Macbeth 
and  Mr.  Thos.  Evans,  one  the  antithesis  of  the  other 
in  many  respects,  but  both  well  grounded  in  the  intricate 
processes  of  glass  making.  The  first,  a  man  of  great 
imagination;  the  second,  more  conservative  but  admir- 
ably fitted  by  reason  of  a  keen  business  instinct  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  glass  making  to  direct  the 
financial  destiny  of  the  new  company,  an  exceedingly 
difficult  and  important  task,  as  later  years  disclosed. 

The  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  under  the 
guidance  of  these  two  men,  grew  so  rapidly  that  it 
soon  outdistanced  its  competitors  in  the  majority  of 
the  lines  manufactured.  The  works  at  Bethevan,  Ind. 
(changed  from  Marion,  Ind.) ;  Elwood,  Ind.,  and  Toledo, 
Ohio,  have  been  extended  and  improved  by  the  intro- 
duction of  labor-saving  machinery,  since  they  first 
became  part  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company. 

It  has  been  the  Charleroi  Works,  located  at  Charleroi, 
Pa.,  about  40  miles  distant  from  Pittsburgh,  that  has 
had  the  greatest  growth.  This  plant,  including  the 
Hamilton  plant  acquired  in  1918,  covers  21  acres,  and 
has  a  melting  capacity  of  63  pots,  2  continuous  tanks, 
and  15  day  tanks.  Combined  with  this  melting  capacity 
is  the  large  accessory  equipment  necessary  for  the 
efficient  production  of  glass  in  large  volume  as  well  as 
that  needed  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  of  special 
nature. 

The  Charleroi  Works  has  been  responsible  for  many 
of  the  extraordinary  accomplishments  of  the  past 
twenty  years  in  the  glass  industry.  Some  of  these  are 
described  in  the  chapter  reviewing  the  products  of  this 
company. 


Forty-three 


Staff  Organization  and 
Its  Development 


HEN  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company 
was  incorporated  in  1899,  the  separate 
organizations  of  the  Thos.  Evans  Company 
and  the  Geo.  A.  Macbeth  Company  were 
combined.  The  general  office  of  the  new 
organization  was  established  in  the  Bell  Telephone  Build- 
ing on  Seventh  Avenue,  Pittsburgh.  As  in  every  corpora- 
tion, a  board  of  directors  was  the  governing  body.  The 
active  direction  of  the  Manufacturing  and  Sales  Depart- 
ment was  directly  under  the  supervision  of  Geo.  A. 
Macbeth,  President,  and  Thos.  Evans,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 

The  comparatively  simple  organization  at  that  time 
has  developed  due  to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  business 
into  the  highly  specialized  company  of  the  present  day. 
It  would  be  tiresome  to  trace  the  various  changes  which 
have  taken  place  during  the  past  twenty  years,  but  it 
undoubtedly  will  be  of  interest  to  describe  the  organiza- 
tion as  it  exists  today. 

The  operations  of  the  company  are  divided  into  the 
following  principal  departments:  Executive,  Manu- 
facturing, Research,  Purchasing,  Sales,  Advertising, 
Accounting,  Credit,  Traffic  and  Engineering,  each 
with  a  head  responsible  to  the  Executive  Department. 
Finance  is  not  represented,  as  it  is  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  Executive  Department. 

The  Export  Department  is  located  in  New  York 
City.  Through  this  department  and  its  representatives 


Forty-five 


Chemical  Laborator 


Physical  Laboratory 


throughout  the  world,  the  products  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  are  distributed  to  foreign  coun- 
tries, some  of  them  being  shipped  to  the  most  remote 
parts  of  the  globe. 

Weekly  meetings  of  the  various  department  heads  are 
held,  at  which  increasing  problems  of  operation  are 
discussed  and  solved.  The  co-ordination  of  the  various 
departments  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Assistant 
Secretary.  While  the  work  which  the  Research  Depart- 
ment is  doing  has  always  been  carried  on  to  a  certain 
extent,  the  highly  specialized  organization  of  today  was 
not  dreamed  of  a  few  years  ago.  In  its  well-equipped 
laboratories,  its  chemists,  physicists  and  ceramists, 
under  the  supervision  of  an  able  director,  have  elimi- 
nated to  a  very  large  extent  the  element  of  chance 
which  has  made  the  glass  industry  so  hazardous.  It  is 
in  the  Research  Department  that  the  increasing  number 
of  glass  problems,  presented  by  the  widely  diversified 
industries  of  the  world,  are  studied  and  solved. 

The  operation  of  all  works  is  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Manufacturing  Department,  directed  by  a  com- 
mitttee  consistingof  a  General  Manager  and  two  Assistant 
General  Managers.  Works  superintendents  are  directly 
responsible  to  this  committee.  In  addition,  this  com- 
mittee has  to  do  with  the  company's  relations  to  its 
workmen,  their  employment,  efficiency,  welfare,  com- 
pensation for  accidents,  and  with  other  duties  of  similar 
character.  That  the  welfare  of  the  workmen  is  carefully 
considered  is  evidenced  by  the  establishment  of  a  cafe- 
teria a  few  months  ago  at  Bethevan  plant,  at  which  the 
employees  can  secure  their  noon-day  lunch  at  cost. 

Quite  recently  the  life  of  every  employee  was  insured 
under  the  "Group"  plan  as  it  is  generally  known.  All 
this  expense  is  borne  by  the  company — the  amount  of 
each  policy  being  dependent  upon  the  salary  and  the 
length  of  service  of  the  employee. 

Forty-seven 


BETHEVAN  WORKS    BETHEVAN  INDIANA 


CHARLEROI  \VOF 


TOLEDC 


ELWOOD  WORKS    ELWOOD  INDIANA 


EDO  OHIO 


Macbeth- Evans  Glass  Company,  Ltd 
Toronto,  Canada 


Philadelphia  Office 


Cafeteria — Bethevan  Works 


Cafeteria — Bethevan  Works 


GLASS   MAKING 


O  the  uninitiated  the  manufacture  of  glass 
has  about  it  a  halo  of  mystery.  This  can 
be  attributed,  partially  at  least,  to  the  fact 
that  the  materials  which  compose  it  are 
opaque.  The  resulting  product — glass — is 
usually  thought  of  as  transparent,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  glass  is  made  in  various  degrees  of  opacity. 
The  mysterious  agent  which  causes  this  transformation 
is  fire. 

^ince^  the  first  glass  was  made,  the  two  essential 
ingredients  have  been  silica  in  the  form  of  sand  and 
alkali.  In  commercial  glass  of  the  present  day,  a 
metal  such  as  lead,  zinc  or  aluminum  forms  the  third 
ingredient. 

The  glass  industry  depends  upon  natural  deposits  of 
sodium  and  potassium.  The  principal  ingredients  of 
nearly  all  modern  glass  are  sand,  soda-ash,  potash, 
lime,  borax  and  lead. 


Pot  Furnace 


Fifty-three 


d 

LlLH:  /^i  ' 


A  "Shop"  Making  Blown  Ware 

Sand,  which  comprises  50  to  75  per  cent  of  the  mixture 
or  batch  as  it  is  called,  which  is  melted  to  form  glass, 
is  found  in  practically  pure  form  in  various  parts  of 
the  United  States.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  how- 
ever, it  is  necessary  to  wash  all  sand  in  order  to  remove 
any  foreign  substances  which  may  be  present,  chief 
among  which  is  alumina. 

Soda  ash  (sodium  carbonate)  is  used  as  a  flux.  Its 
substitution  for  potash  reduces  the  melting  point  of  the 
batch  considerably  below  that  in  wrhich  the  same 
quantity  of  potash  has  been  used.  The  chief  reason, 
howrever,  for  using  soda  ash  instead  of  potash  is  because 
it  is  less  expensive. 

Lime  (calcium  carbonate)  is  used  principally  to 
harden  glass,  and  at  the  same  time,  facilitate  melting 
and  refining. 

Potassium,  in  the  form  of  pearlash  or  potash,  like 
soda,  acts  as  a  flux.  It  is  more  expensive  than  soda 


Fifty-four 


and  for  that  reason  is  used  only  in  those  glasses  where 
high  brilliancy  is  required. 

Nitre  and  borax  are  alkalies  which  are  frequently  used 
because  of  the  large  amount  of  oxygen  which  they  con- 
tain. Glass  in  which  alkalies  have  been  used  to  excess, 
when  exposed  to  the  chemical  action  of  the  atmosphere 
and  moisture,  takes  on  an  iridescent  appearance,  and  in 
many  cases  this  "soft  glass"  if  stored  away  for  a  time 
will  have  its  entire  surface  covered  by  a  white  film. 

Lead  is  the  principal  metallic  ingredient  and  is  used 
either  in  the  form  of  litharge  or  red  lead.  Lead  increases 
the  brilliancy  of  glass  and  makes  it  heat  resistant. 

Aluminum,  arsenic,  zinc,  tin,  barium,  antimony  and 
many  of  the  rarer  elements  are  now  used  in  glasses 
manufactured  to  meet  special  requirements. 


mm 

£p' '; 


.  «• 


~ 


Grinding  and  Polishing  Department 


Fifty-five 


Making  Glass  with  Machinery 

COLORED  GLASS 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  glass  manu- 
facture is  the  control  of  color  in  glass.  Metallic  oxides 
are  generally  used  and  while  certain  elements  produce 
a  definite  color,  such  as  the  blue  of  cobalt,  yet  the 
varying  conditions  entering  into  the  manufacture  of 
glass  frequently  result  in  the  same  element  producing 
different  colors. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here,  however,  that  the 
development  of  highly  organized  laboratories  in  the 
plants  of  a  few  glass  manufacturers  is,  to  a  large 
extent,  bringing  under  control  the  vagaries  of  the  batch 
in  its  transition  from  the  raw  mixture  into  molten  glass. 

MELTING 

The  batch,  after  the  raw  materials  have  been  carefully 
mixed,  is  melted  either  in  a  pot  or  a  tank,  art  a  temper- 


Fifty-six 


ature  of  approximately 
2600°  Fahrenheit. 

Except  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  optical 
glass,  in  which  one  pot 
is  used  in  a  furnace, 
the  number  of  pots  to 
a  furnace  will  range 
from  six  to  twenty.  A 
pot  furnace  is  ordi- 
narily conical  in  shape, 
tapering  toward  the 

Clay  Pot  j  •  1 1 

top  and  extending  well 

above  the  roof  of  the  building.  At  the  base  of  the 
furnace  is  the  fire,  above  which  the  pots  are  arranged 
before  arched  openings.  The  fire  by  forced  draft 
envelops  the  pots,  melting  and  refining  the  batch. 
The  time  required  is  dependent  upon  the  kind  of  glass 
which  is  being  made.  The  pots  are  filled  and  the  mol- 
ten glass  gathered  through  a  projecting  aperture  extend- 
ing to  the  furnace  w^all. 

The  material  used  in  the  manufacture  of  pots  from 
time  immemorial  has  been  fire  clay.  It  is  absolutely 
essential  that  this  clay  be  as  homogeneous  as  possible. 
The  making  of  a  pot  is  necessarily  a  long  and  tedious 
process,  requiring  great  care,  as  obviously  a  defective 
pot  may  mean  the  loss  of  a  valuable  batch. 

Thg  present  day  tendency  in  plants  of  large  produc- 
tion is  toward  an  increasing  use  of  the  tank  furnace,  of 
which  there  are  two  kinds — a  day  or  intermittent  tank 
and  a  continuous  tank.  The  former  is  nothing  more 
than  a  large  rectangular  pot  where  the  batch  is  charged, 
melted  and  gathered  in  much  the  same  way  as  when 
a  regular  pot  is  used.  A  continuous  tank  furnace,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  one  so  constructed  as  to  melt  glass 


Fifty-seven 


by  a  continuous  process.  It  consists  of  two  principal 
divisions,  a  charging  and  melting  "  End  "  and  a  refining 
or  working  "End,"  connected  by  a  restricted  passage 
called  the  throat.  The  capacity  of  these  furnaces 
varies  from  one  hundred  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  molten  glass.  Glass  batch  and  cullet  are  fed 
at  short  intervals  into  the  charging  end  of  the  furnace 
and  are  there  melted.  The  molten  glass  then  passes 
through  the  throat  of  the  furnace  into  the  refining  end 
and  gradually  flows  toward  the  various  points  at  which 
it  is  gathered  or  otherwise  removed. 


y        i\fc»v fci-  -P"/ul  ' •**  '^dj lmmr 

,  M^tf^'^^fOip    iiM      I 

i^Jf&  I  i£Ste4^  i 


s* 


Making  Lamp  Chimneys  with  Machine 


Fifty-eight 


Molds  Used  in 
Glass  Making 


N  the  manufacture  of  any  article  made 
"from  a  liquid  or  molten  substance,  which 
is  in  its  finished  state  either  solid  or  shell- 
like,  it  is  necessary  to  use  some  kind  of 
form  or  mold  which  will  give  the  finished 
article  the  desired  shape.  Each  industry  whose  product 
is  made  in  the  most  part  by  the  aid  of  molds  has  its 
own  peculiar  type  and  trade  names  for  molds. 

Molds  have  been  used  in  glass  making  from  the 
very  early  ages.  The  ancient  F.prvpfians  used  crude 
molds,  presumably  made  of  clay,  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  bottles  and  other  containers  and  ornaments, 
upon  the  surface  of  which  were  sunken  hieroglyphic 
characters.  But  the  industry  in  those  ages,  in  fact  up 
to  the  time  of  the  Venetians,  was  not  developed  commer- 
cially, and  the  use  ol'  molds  probably  died  out  or  at 
least  was  not  commercialized  and  improved.  The 
Venetians  made  practically  all  of  their  glass  by  the  off- 
hand method,  which  is  accomplished  without  the  aid  of 
molds.  Using  this  method  the  blower  gathers  the 
molten  metal  (glass)  on  the  end  of  a  tube  and  by 
blowing  upon  the  tube,  pressure  is  exerted  upon  the 
inside  of  the  glass  gathered.  The  blower,  knowing 
exactly  how  much  pressure  to  exert  from  the  inside, 
combined  with  his  skill  in  properly  distributing  the 


Fifty-nine 


glass — by  swinging  or  revolving  the  tube — and  by  the 
use  of  his  various  tools,  is  able  to  produce  an  article 
in  the  desired  shape. 

Glass_rnolds^  are  of  three  kinds:  iron,  paste  and 
press  molds,  and  considerable  confusion  has  resulted 
from  these  names.  The  fact  is  that  all  of  these  molds 
are  made  of  iron  ancTthe  names  which  are  used  grew 
out  of  manufacturing  methods  rather  than  from  the 
kind  of  material  of  which  the  molds  are  made.  If  one 
understands  the  history  of  glass  making  and  the  applica- 
tion of  molds  to  help  in  the  shaping  of  articles,  he  will 
understand  better  how  the  names  of  these  different 
molds  originated  and  will  then  be  able  to  tell  quickly 
which  of  the  three  styles  has  been  used  to  make  certain 
articles. 

From  the  method  used  by  the  early  Egyptians 
someone  conceived  the  idea  of  an  iron  substitution 
for  a  primitive  clay  mold.  These  iron  molds  were 


Closed 


Paste  Blow  Mold 


Sixty 


Press  Mold  Showing  Plunger 

made  in  two  sections,  hinged  on  one  side  and  held 
closed  by  a  clamp  or  lock  on  the  opposite  side.  The 
inside  of  the  mold  was  polished  so  that  the  surface 
of  the  finished  article  would  not  be  marred  or  scratched. 
These  molds  consisted  of  two  or  more  segments 
hinged  together,  which  permitted  the  mold  to  be 
opened  and  the  blown  article  removed. 

It  was  impossible  to  fit  these  molds  tightly  enough 
to  prevent  the  mold  joint  or  seam  from  showing  on 
the  surface  of  the  finished  articles  in  the  form  of  a 
ridge.  As  the  molds  were  cleaned  from  time  to  time 
and  became  abused  in  handling,  the  seam  became  more 
and  more  noticeable  in  every  piece  of  glassware  blown 
in  them.  This  same  condition  exists  today  in  spite  of 
all  modern  methods  of  making  tight  joints — but  of 
course  to  a  much  lesser  degree. 

Although  the  faces  of  these  molds  were  highly 
polished,  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  perfect  surface 
and  all  inequalities  that  were  in  the  iron  showred  in 
the  glass.  Of  course  the  development  of  fine  abrasives 
has  enabled  mold  manufacturers  to  produce  a  much 
smoother  surface;  nevertheless,  it  is  practically  impos- 
sible to  produce  an  iron  blown  article  which  does  not 
have  more  or  less  of  an  obscure  surface,  varying  of 
course  with  the  condition  of  the  mold. 


Sixty-one 


The  German  glassmakers  made  molds  from  maple, 
apple  and  other  harcT  woods  which  were  kept  water- 
soaked  to  prevent  them  from  taking  fire  as  soon  as  the 
molten  glass  came  in  contact  with  the  mold.  It  was 
soon  found  that  in  spite  of  the  water-soaked  condition 
of  the  mold  the  extreme  heat  of  the  glass  charred  the 
surface  of  the  mold  and  the  longer  it  was  used  the 
larger  became  the  inside  dimension,  consequently  a 
larger  article  was  produced  than  originally  intended.  It 
was  also  noticed  that  after  a  mold  became  slightly 
charred  the  blower  could  readily  revolve  the  article 
which  he  was  making.  A  study  of  these  conditions 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  charred  surface  of  the  mold 
formed  a  paste  which  acted  as  a  lubricant,  thus  per- 
mitting the  blower  to  turn  the  article  at  random.  The 
finished  article  made  in  this  way  had  a  smooth  surface 
free  from  seam  marks  and  of  a  pleasing  lustre. 


Grinding  and  Polishing  Tumblers 


Sixty-two 


Semi-Automatic  Machine 

Iron  molds  were  also  in  use  at  this  time  and  it  was 
found  that  if  the  inside  surface  of  these  iron  molds 
was  covered  with  some  of  this  charred  substance  from 
the  wooden  molds  the  glass  could  be  revolved,  while 
being  blown,  just  as  it  could  in  the  wooden  molds. 
From  this  developed  a  carbon  mixture  which  is  now 
known  as  "paste."  This  paste  is  applied  to  the  inside 
of  an  iron  mold  and  is  frequently  sprayed  with  water 
so  that  it  will  not  get  too  hot  and  burn.  The  name 
"paste  mold"  is  generally  used  to  designate  an  iron 
mold  which  has  an  inner  lining  of  some  material  which 
allows  the  glass  to  be  turned  or  revolved  while  it  is 
being  blown. 

It  will  be  readily  seen,  however,  that  any  article 
having  a  design  or  figuration  impressed  upon  or  raised 
from  its  surface  cannot  be  revolved  and  must  be  blown 
in  an  iron  mold.  Any  article  having  a  smooth  and 


V 


Sixty-three 


No.  832 


symmetrical  surface  can  be  blown 
in  a  paste  mold.  Perhaps  we  can 
illustrate  this  better  by  two  of  our 
products,  No.  832,  which  is  a  12-inch 
paste  mold  ball  globe,  and  our  No. 
2691,  a  12-inch  Alba  ball  globe  with 
a  figuration,  which  is  made  in  an  iron 
mold. 
Lantern  globes  are  blown  in  both  paste  and  iron 

molds.    Globes  having  lettering  on  their  surfaces  must 

be  blown   in  an   iron  mold,    but 

globes   without   lettering  can  be 

blown  in  a  paste  mold.   The  ma- 
jority of  lantern  globes  are,  due  to 

other  manufacturing  conditions, 

made  by  the  iron  mold  process. 
A  press  mold  is  made  ot  iron 

and  consists  of  two  parts,  the  mold 

proper  and  the  plunger.  The  mold 

proper  forms  the  outside  surface  of 

the  article  and  the  plunger  the  inside  surface.     When 

they  are  in  proper  position  the  space  between  the  surface 


No.  2691 


Iron  Blow  Mold 


Sixty-four 


- 


Part  of  Gas  Producer  Plant  at  the  Charleroi  Works 

of  the  mold  proper  and  the  face  of  the  plunger  represents 
the  article.  The  surfaces  of  both  are  very  highly  polished 
so  as  to  leave  as  few  marks  as  possible  on  the  finished 
article.  In  making  press  mold  glassware  the  molten  glass 
is  gathered  on  the  end  of  an  iron  rod  or  punty  and  then 
dropped  into  the  mold  proper;  the  press  operator 
severs  with  shears  the  intervening  thread  between  the 
body  of  the  glass  and  the  punty.  The  plunger  is  now 
pressed  down  into  the  hot  glass,  squeezing  it  from  the 
bottom  of  the  mold  up  and  around  the  sides  until 
the  mold  is  filled.  One  can  readily  see  that  the 
presser  must  know  exactly  how  much  glass  to  cut  off 
the  punty  in  order  that  the  mold  may  be  sufficiently 
filled  when  the  plunger  is  dropped  into  place.  Too 
much  glass  will  cause  over-pressing  and  too  little  under- 
pressing. 

From  the  nature  of  the  process  it  is  obvious  that  in 


Sixty-five 


making  pressed  articles  the  largest  diameter  is  at  the 
top  of  the  mold,  so  that  after  the  plunger  enters  the 
mold  it  may  be  withdrawn  when  the  glass  has  solid- 
ified. Our  Alba  shades,  such  as  No.  3429,  are  made  in 
this  manner,  with  the  fitter  at  the  bottom  of  the  mold 
and  the  widest  part  at  the  top. 

Glass  cooled  suddenly  is  fragile  and  will  break 
easily  when  subjected  to  rapid  temperature  changes. 
The  elimination  of  this  brittleness  is  accomplished  by 
tempering,  or  leering,  as  the  process  is  called.  After  the 
glass  has  been  blown  or  pressed  into  the  proper  shapes 
it  is  placed  on  large  pans  in  a  leer,  which  is  an  oven-like 
structure  of  considerable  length  with  doors  at  both  ends. 


.• 


:  %J  fe  3*          '  ~-      U     •         '•  Stt  !>       — • 

M^WPifral 

«bKmwl3~^ 


Sand  Blasting  Department 


Sixty-six 


K       .     /.  '      .    ->».       i          *       -    '  i ,  X/y>  v    ^fc^  • '  .^t  A     1 


Leers 


These  pans  are  drawn  by  mechanical  means  through  a 
zone  of  rising  temperature  which  at  its  greatest  inten- 
sity closely  approaches  the  melting  point  of  the  glass. 
The  pans  move  on  into  other  zones,  the  temperature 
being  gradually  reduced  as  the  glass  approaches  the 
end  of  the  leer,  from  which  it  is  removed.  This  slow 
cooling  eliminates  the  brittleness  that  the  glass  would 
otherwise  possess.  Obviously,  painstaking  leering  of 
glass  is  one  of  the  essential  elements  in  successful  glass 
making. 


Sixty-seven 


THE  UNITED  S 


RECOGNIZES  IN  THIS  AWARD  FOR  DISTINGUISHED  SERVICE 

THE  LOYALTY  ENERGY  AND  EFFICIENCY  IN.  THE  PERFORMANCE 

OF   THE  WAR  WORK  BY  WHICH 


AIDED  MATERIALLY  IN  OBTAINING  VICTORY  FOR  THE  ARMS 

OF  FHE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA  IN  THE  WAR  WITH 

THE  IMPERIAL  GERMAN  GOVERNMENT  AND  THE  IMPERIAL 

AND  ROYAL  AUSTRO  -HUNGARIAN  GOVERNMENT 


Sixty-eight 


/-    ^v^.          ^g 


PRODUCTS 


The  Macbeth-Evans  Glass 
Company  manufactures 
almost  every  kind  of  glass 
for  illuminating,  industrial 
and  scientific  purposes. 
While  a  large  part  of  the  pro- 
duction consists  of  such  widely 
known  articles  as  chimneys, 
gas  and  electric  shades  and 
tumblers — yet  there  are  many 
special  glasses  produced,  with 
which  the  layman  is  not  so 
familiar.  Their  importance  in 
the  commercial  life  of  the 
world  makes  them  of  more  than 
ordinary  interest  to  the  reader. 
Descriptions  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  these  glasses,  their 
application  and  development, 
will  give  some  conception  of 
the  problems  which  this  com- 
pany is  called  upon  to  solve. 


LIGHTHOUSE 

LENSES 


N  1805  the  great  destruction  of  vessels 
with  the  consequent  loss  of  life  resulted 
in  definite  action  the  following  year  look- 
ing toward  the  systematic  lighting  of  coasts 
and  harbors.  Previous  to  1806  the  coast 
signals  at  night  were  confined  to  a  few  "beacon" 
lights,  produced  by  either  coal  or  wood  fires  on  tops 
of  buildings  erected  for  that  purpose.  This  was  an 
uncertain  and  dangerous  method  of  marking  coasts 
and  harbors,  as  vessels  could  be  lost  by  mistaking  the 
fire  of  a  lime  kiln  for  a  "beacon"  light.  The  first 
permanent  lighthouse  was  built  about  twelve  miles 
distant  from  the  coast  of  Scotland  off  the  Firth  of 
Forth.  Here  the  great  lighthouse  engineer,  Robert 
Stevenson,  began  experiments  in  which  parabolic  mir- 
rors were  used  to  project  the  light. 


Seventy 


It  was  not  until  1822  that  Fresnel,  an  ingenious 
Frenchman,  utilizing  the  experience  of  others,  developed 
the  cylindrical  lamp  employing  one  central  light  source. 
It  is  this  system  with  improvements  which  is  used 
today. 

There  is  probably  no  more  impressive  example  of 
the  glassmaker's  art  than  a  lighthouse  lens.  Involved 
in  its  manufacture  is  not  only  a  glass  making  problem 
but  in  addition  a  mathematical  problem,  an  optical 
problem  and  a  mechanical  problem. 

The  making  of  lighthouse  lenses  by  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  for  the  first  time  in  United 
States  in  1910  was  a  signal  triumph  and  convincing 
evidence  of  the  great  advancement  of  the  art  of  glass 
making  in  this  country.  In  this  connection  an  extract 
from  a  paper  read  before  the  Engineering  Society  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  in  1914  by  Mr.  Macbeth  is 
interesting: 

"In  commencing  the  manufacture  of  these  glasses 
(Lighthouse  Lenses)  it  seemed  like  assuming  a  duty 
with  an  unknown  investment  as  well  as  an  unknown  loss 
or  profit,  but  it  also  answered  a  challenge  to  an  old 
glass  center  like  Pittsburgh  to  produce  high-grade 
articles  and  run  the  risk  in  the  endeavor." 

The  first  attempt  to  manufacture  lighthouse  lenses 
in  the  United  States  is  best  described 
in  the  annual  report  of  the  Secretary 
of  Commerce  and  Labor,  under  which 
Bureau  the  Lighthouse  Department 
operates : 

"Until  lately  it  has  been  necessary  to  pro- 
cure all  the  cut  glass  lenses  used  in  the  Light- 
house Service  from  either  France,  England, 
or  Germany,  most  of  them  coming  from 
France.  Recently  the  matter  was  taken  up 
with  an  American  firm  of  glass  manu-  Fourtn°^eLensX  Pane' 

Seventy-one 


facturers  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  if  a 
better  lens  could  be  made  in  this  country 
than  abroad  by  using  some  modern  manu- 
facturing methods.  The  results  to  date  have 
proven  satisfactory.  The  lenses  are  superior 
to  those  purchased  abroad  and  can  be  made 
for  the  same  cost  or  less.  The  essential 
feature  of  the  American  method  of  manu- 
facture is  that  the  prisms  are  formed  by 
machine  instead  of  by  hand.  Every  part 

Fourth  Order  Four  .  . . 

Panel  Flashing  Lens  is  made  to  fit  an  accurate  template  or  jig, 
so  that  they  are  true  to  size  and  parts  of  the  same  number  are 
completely  interchangeable.  Improvements  have  been  made  in 
pressed  glass  lens  lantern  and  buoy  lantern  lenses,  and  tests 
show  them  well  adapted  for  many  conditions  of  the  service,  at  a 
decrease  in  expense." 

Due    to    superiority    of    design    and    the    accuracy 
attained  in  manufacture,  the  light- 
house lenses  made  by  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  are  approxi- 
mately fifty  per  cent  more  efficient 
than  those  made  abroad.   The  glass 
which  is  used  is  not  hygroscopic— 
that  is,  it  does  not  absorb  moisture.          300  MM  Fixed  Lens 
Because  of  this  fact,  Macbeth-Evans 
lighthouse  lenses,  after  years  of  continuous  service,  have 
the  same  clear,   highly  polished   appearance  as  when 
originally  installed. 

This  "permanent"  glass,  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
made  by  this  company,  is  the  result  of  extensive  research 
which  culminated  in  producing  the 
proper  combinations  of  certain 
materials  which  form  the  glass 
batch.  The  actual  melting  of  the 
batch  and  the  manipulation  of  the 
glass  are,  obviously,  vital  parts  of 
the  whole  process  of  securing  suc- 

Fourth  Order  Two  Panel  r     1 

Bivalve  Lens  CCSSIUl 


Sevenly-livo 


I 


MINATING 
GLASS 


N  Pennsylvania  in  1859  Col.  E.  L.  Drake, 
successfully  boring  for  petroleum,  caused 
the  flooding  of  the  market  with  oil  at  prices 
never  dreamed  possible.  This  led  to  the 
introduction  of  foreign-made  oil  lamps 
and  had  the  immediate  effect  of  stimulating  their 
manufacture  in  America.  Chimneys  being  an  essential 
part  of  oil  lamps,  it  was  quite  natural  that  the  increased 
use  of  the  latter  would  cause  a  correspondingly  heavy 
demand  for  the  former.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
consumption  of  chimneys  became  so  great  that  their 
manufacture  quickly  grew  into  a  distinct  industry  in 
Pittsburgh. 

It  was  as  manufacturers  of  lamp  chimneys  that 
Geo.  A.  Macbeth  and  Thos.  Evans  became  identified 
with  the  glass  industry.  Although  many  diversified 
lines  for  widely  different  purposes  are  now  made  by 
the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  yet  the  major 
part  of  the  production  is  illuminating  glass. 


Seventy-three 


The  fame  of  " Pearl  Glass"  and  "Pearl  Top"  lamp 
chimneys  has  extended  to  the  most  remote  parts  of  the 
globe.  They  continue  to  be  sold  where  oil  lamps  are 
burnt  and,  strange  to  relate,  there  is  a  surprisingly 
large  number  of  lamp  chimneys  used  today — this  in 
spite  of  the  development  of  the  more  efficient  modern 
light  sources. 

The  advent  of  the  Welsbach  mantle  in  1886  created 
a  demand  for  illuminating  glass  of  somewhat  different 
character  than  that  used  for  oil  lamps.  The  manu- 
facture of  chimneys,  shades  and  globes  for  this  new 
light  source  made  necessary  new  factory  equipment  and 
the  readjustment  of  the  business  to  meet  the  changed 
conditions. 

The  incandescent  electric  lamp,  possibly  the  most 
interesting  development  in  illumination,  was  the  achieve- 
ment of  the  famous  American,  Thomas  A.  Edison. 
Electric  lighting  had  been  used  pre- 
vious to  Edison's  invention  but  was 
produced  by  the  means  of  the  electric 
arc,  discovered  by  Sir  Humphry  Davy 
in  1801.  The  greatest  development 
in  the  use  of  electricity  for  lighting 
has  been  during  the  past  twenty-five 
years.  Special  glassware  was  devised 
by  this  company  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  each  improvement  in  elec- 
tric lighting. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company  has 
contributed  through  its  illuminating 
engineering  department  and  by  exten- 
sive publicity  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
impetus  which  has  been  given  orna- 
Lighting  unit"  mental  street  lighting  during  recent 


¥ 


Seventy-four 


years.  Handsome  posts,  surmounted  by  attractive  and 
efficient  globes  made  either  of  Alba  or  Monax  Glass, 
are  enhancing  the  appearance  of  cities  and  towns  today. 

The  manufacture  of  illuminating  glass  for  the  carbon 
filament  lamp,  and  more  recently  for  tungsten  and  gas 
filled  lamps,  has  given  the  resources  of  Macbeth-Evans 
Glass  Company  an  opportunity  for  real  expression. 

This  company  recognized  early  in  the  development 
of  modern  light  sources  that  their  intrinsic  brilliancy 
required  modification  in  order  to  produce  useful  and 
efficient  illumination.  The  invention  of  Alba — a  white 
diffusing  glass — was  the  first  step  toward  the  solution 
of  the  problem.  The  manufacture  of  this  glass  in  the 
form  of  globes,  shades  and  bowls,  scientifically  designed 
to  distribute  the  light  efficiently,  quickly  followed  its 
invention. 

In  the  creation  of  an  illuminating  engineering  depart- 
ment, the  facilities,  which  this  company  offered  to  those 
who  desired  efficient  as  well  as  attractive  illumination, 
were  complete. 

Comprehensive  publicity  campaigns,  advocating  bet- 
ter lighting,  had  the  effect  of  creating  a 
demand  for  improved  lighting  conditions 
in  factories  and  offices,  as  well  as  in  homes. 
The  requirements  of  home  lighting  differ 
somewhat  from  the  demands  of  the  indus- 
trial world.  It  is  the  desire  of  the  average 
owner  to  light  his  home  artistically,  depend- 
ing upon  local  illumination  for  reading  or 
writing.  It  was  therefore  with  this  in  mind 
that  the  illuminating  glass  manufactured 
by  this  company  for  residence  lighting  was 
designed. 

Alba,  in  many  of  its  decorative  forms,  has 
beenused  toadvantageinhomeillumination.       LighSdngetpost 

Seventy-five 


Thebian  is  another  form  of  decorated  glass  designed  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  those  residences  in  which 
artistic  lighting  is  desired  at  moderate  cost.  Artistically, 
however,  the  most  beautiful  product  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  is  the  glass  known  as  Decora. 
Here  the  artist  designer  was  given  the  opportunity  for 
unlimited  expression.  Exquisite  colors  combined  with 
a  wealth  of  rarely  decorative  designs  distinguish  Decora 
among  other  illuminating  glass.  It  is  truly  a  glass  of 
character — distinctive  because  of  its  originality  and 
artistry,  yet  having  the  restraint  necessary  to  become 
part  of  an  harmonious  interior. 

The  illuminating  glass  made  by  this  company 
includes  not  only  that  described  above,  but  in  addition 
a  great  variety  of  more  or  less  staple  shades  and  globes 
in  common  use,  the  description  of  which  would  be 
uninteresting  because  it  is  so  well  known. 


Semi-Indirect  Lighting  Unit 


Seventy-six 


GLASS 


HERE  is  probably  no  more  exacting  con- 
sumers of  glass  than  the  railroads.  It  is 
important  to  the  traveling  public  that  such 
be  the  case,  as  glass  is  a  vital  part  of  all 
railway  signal  systems.  The  large  American 
railroads  maintain  testing  departments,  which  scientif- 
ically examine  samples  of  all  railway  guide  glass.  For 
instance,  photometric  tests  are  made  when  color  and 
transmission  of  light  are  involved,  and  when  it  is  nec- 
essary that  the  glass  have  a  certain  inherent  strength, 
it  must  pass  mechanical  shock  tests.  These  tests  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  the  glass  will  meet  the  rigid  speci- 
fications of  the  Railway  Signal  Association. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  red  and  yellow  glasses 
transmit  approximately  one-fourth  as  much  light  as 
clear  glass — green  glass  one-sixth  and  blue  even  less.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  project  red  light  rays  as  far  as  white, 
the  intensity  of  the  light  source  must  be  four  times  that 
used  with  clear  glass,  while  for  green  it  must  be  six 


Seventy-seven 


times   as   great.      In    small    de- 
tached units  it  is  not  practicable 
/  to   so   grade   the   light    sources, 

and  for  this  reason  the  railroads 
require  colored  glass  which  has 
a  minimum  of  absorption.  This 
is  one  of  the  many  problems 
which  must  be  solved  by  the 
Roundel  Research  Department  of  this 

company.  Another  is  to  make  a  glass  which  when 
subjected  to  mechanical  shock  sufficient  to  break  it  will 
not  fall  to  pieces.  The  importance  of  this  quality  is 
best  illustrated  when  we  consider  the  situation  of  the 
flagman,  who  may  break  the  red  globe  in  his  lantern 
when  going  out  in  a  storm  to  stop  a  train.  Disin- 
tegration of  a  globe  could  easily  result  in  a  serious  acci- 
dent, such  as  a  rear-end  collision. 

In  the  manufacture  of  roundels,  which  are  used  in 
connection  with  semaphore  signals,  the  color  of  the 
glass  is  the  essential  requirement.  Lantern  globes, 
other  than  clear,  on  the  other  hand,  must  combine,  not 
only  the  quality  of  great  heat  resistance  necessary  in 
clear  globes,  but  also  the  proper  colors  to  meet  rigid 
railroad  specifications.  Lamp  chimneys  for  switch  lamps 
and  coach  lighting  must  also  be  made  of  special  glass. 
One  of  the  outstanding  developments  in  the  making 
of  glass  for  railroads  was  accom- 
plished in  producing  tubular  and 
reflex  water  gauge  glasses  now  used 
on  locomotives.  Previous  to  the 
invention  of  the  special  glass  now 
used  in  their  manufacture  serious 
accidents  resulted  from  the  break- 
ing and  disintegration  of  gauge 
glasses,  allowing  the  escape  of  scald-  R  R  Lantefn  G]obe 

Seventy-eight 


Semaphore 


ing  steam  and  hot  water.  The  inher- 
ent construction  of  the  gauge  glasses 
now  made  for  railroads  by  this  com- 
pany is  such  that  if  a  gauge  glass  is 
broken,  it  does  not  disintegrate  and 
preserves  its  original  shape,  thus 
preventing  the  escape  of  steam  from 
the  boiler. 

The  automatic  signals  of  railroads  are  dependent  for 
their  operation  upon  electric  storage  batteries.  One 
can  easily  imagine  the  serious  consequence  should  these 
batteries  fail  to  operate.  It  is  of  vital  importance  there- 
fore that  the  glass  jars  used  to  encase  batteries  be  so  made 
that  they  will  withstand  the  most  severe  service.  On 
some  of  the  Northern  roads  it  is  not  uncommon  to  renew7 
batteries  by  pouring  in  caustic  soda,  thus  bringing  the 
temperature  inside  of  the  glass  jar  up  as  high 
as  that  of  boiling  water  when  the  temperature 
outside  the  jar  may  be  below  zero.  To  deter- 
mine whether  the  Macbeth-Evans  battery  jars 
would  stand  this  terrific  strain  samples  were 
placed  in  cracked  ice,  where  they  were  allowed 
to  remain  until  the  temperature  of  the  glass  had 
been  reduced  to  5°  F  when  boiling  water  was 
poured  into  the  jar.  This  is  a  severe  test  but  is  necessary 
because  of  conditions  under  which  battery  jars  are  used. 
The  illumination  of  coaches,  Pullman  cars  and 
terminals  has  in  recent  years  been  given  more  con- 
sideration by  the  railroads  than  formerly.  This 
company  manufactures  specially  designed  shades  and 
globes  made  to  meet  certain  photometric  requirements 
specified  by  the  railroads  in  order  to  secure  efficient 
lighting  of  terminals  and  cars  for  passenger  service. 


Seventy-nine 


MARINE 
GLASS 


JO  those  who  have  spent  their  lives  on  land 
the  statement  that  a  vessel  could  not  safely 
leave  our  shores  without  being  equipped 
with  certain  glasses  may  seem  somewhat 
exaggerated. 
It  is  quickly  apparent  even  to  those  least  familiar 

with  the  sea  that  a  ship  would  be  in  constant  danger 

traversing  the  ocean  at  night  without  masthead,  port, 

and  starboard  lights,  running  lights  as  they  are  called. 

These  lights  are  of  different  colors,   thus  identifying 

certain  parts  of  the  vessel.     It  is  for  these  lights  that 

this    company    makes    special    glass 

to  meet  marine  conditions. 

Gauge  glasses  like  those  used  on 

the  railroads    are    provided   for   the 

high    powered    steam    boilers    with 

which  the  large  passenger  liners  and 

warships  are  equipped.     These  gauge 

glasses    must    resist    the    corroding 


Eighty 


action  of  superheated  water  under  steam  pressure.  The 
superiority  of  gauge  glasses  made  by  this  company  is 
shown  by  their  widespread  use  by  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment, as  well  as  by  private  steamship  companies. 

During  the  recent  war  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass 
Company  devoted  almost  all  of  its  production  to 
the  manufacture  of  glass  for  the  army  and  navy.  Chief 
among  the  articles  made  were  the  reflectors  used  on 
the  powerful  searchlights  with  which  our  warships 
and  coast  defenses  are  equipped.  A  battleship's 
battery  of  searchlights  is  a  vital  part  of  its  equipment. 
In  repelling  a  night  attack  it  is  obviously  desirable 
that  a  ship  have  sufficient  searchlights  to  disclose  each 
attacking  unit;  the  lack  of  an  additional  searchlight 
might  mean  a  battleship's  doom,  since  one  of  the  small, 
swift-attacking  units  may  slip  up  and  deal  the  great 
ship  its  death  blow  under  cover  of  darkness. 

Mirrors  for  searchlight  purposes  are  of  varied  forms 
and  sizes,  the  shape  depending  largely  upon  the  par- 
ticular form  of  beam  which  they  are  designed  to  project. 
Large  searchlights  generally  are  designed  to  project  a 
straight  beam  or  bundle  of  light,  and  for  this  purpose  a 
reflector  having  a  parabolic  form  is  required. 

In  most  cases  these  parabolic  mirrors  are  made  of 
crystal  mirror  glass.  A  flat  disc  of  the  glass  is  placed 
in  an  oven  on  a  parabolic  iron  former.  The  temperature 
of  the  oven  is  increased  gradually  until  the  glass  softens 
sufficiently  to  settle  down  to  the  shape  of  the  former. 

This  approximately  parabolic  blank  is  then  ground 
to  a  true  curvature  on  both  the  inside  and  outside  sur- 
faces. After  polishing  and  silvering,  the  mirror  is  sub- 
jected to  severe  test  to  determine  whether  the  various 
zones  of  the  inside  and  outside  surfaces  have  a  common 
focus.  After  completion  each  lens  is  rigidly  examined 
by  a  government  inspector. 

Eighty-one 


The  glass  itself  must  be  of  good  color  and  free  from 
cords,  seeds,  etc.  It  must  also  show  durability  under 
the  action  of  atmospheric  agents. 

Aside  from  the  constitution  of  the  glass  itself  the 
backing  or  silvering  presents  a  difficult  problem;  the 
nature  and  quality  of  the  glass  considerably  affects  the 
ease  and  success  of  the  various  silvering  processes. 

Many  of  the  older  mirrors  have  mercury  or  quick- 
silver films  placed  on  their  reverse  surface  for  the 
reflecting  medium.  Generally  speaking,  the  present 
method  is  to  deposit  metallic  silver  upon  the  glass,  but 
the  manner  in  which  this  is  accomplished,  to  enable 
the  mirror  to  stand  up  under  government  tests,  is  a 
trade  secret  with  the  manufacturer.  The  silvering 
must  be  deposited  at  a  rate  that  can  be  controlled  and 
in  a  manner  to  give  a  uniform,  continuous  film,  free 
from  all  defects. 

There  are  other  glasses  used  on  board  ship  which 
are  essential,  the  description  of  which  is  impossible 
here  because  space  is  limited. 


Eighty-two 


LABORATORY 
GLASS 


HE  increase  in  the  number  of  industrial 
laboratories  throughout  the  country  during 
the  past  few  years  has  caused  a  heavy 
demand  for  laboratory  glass.  In  addition 
there  is  a  large  consumption  of  this  kind 
of  glass  by  private  testing  laboratories,  schools  and 
colleges. 

In    order    to    realize    the    difficulties    that    present 
themselves  to  the  glass  manufacturer  in  the  production 
of  high  quality  glass  for  chemical  purposes  one  should 
know  that  when  the  science  of  chemistry  was  still  in 
its    infancy    chemists    generally 
had  not  yet  realized  the  necessity 
of    having    glassware    of   known 
resistance    to  repeated    evapora- 
tion and  resistance  to  chemical 
reagents. 

When    water    was    boiled    for 
considerable  period  in  glass  ves- 


Eighty-three 


sels  a  distinct  amount  of  solid  matter  col- 
lected in  the  glass  container.  The  expla- 
nation commonly  given,  on  the  basis  of  the 
old  Greek  philosophy,  was  that  water  had 
been  turned  into  earth.; 

Lavoisier,     the    great     French     chemist, 
came  into  contact  with  this  problem  in  his 
earlier  experiments,  and   was  not   satisfied 
with   this  explanation.     He    was   soon    able    to    prove 
that   the    earthy   matter  observed   was  accounted  for 
by  the  attack  of  the  water  on  the  glass,   which  had 
corroded  or  lost  weight  during  the  boiling  process. 
Davy,  another  of  the  early  chemists  of  note,  in  his 
electro-chemical  experiments,  was  able 
to  show  that  the  alkaline  substances 
found  in  water  that   had   been   boiled 
in   glass   containers    could   only   have 
arisen  from  the  glass  used  as  the  con- 
taining vessel.     As  the  developments 
of  quantitative   chemistry  proceeded, 
other  errors  in  analytical    work  were 
noted  which  arose  through  the  use  of 
the  glass  apparatus  of  the  day. 

Because  of  this  chemical  instability  of  glass  surfaces 
there  soon  arose  a  demand  for  a  glass  that  would 
resist  the  action  of  solutions  that  might  be  placed  in 
it,  but  years  of  experiment  were  to  pass  before  it 
became  commercially  possible  to  produce  such  a  glass. 
Eventually,  however,  the  desired  results  were  achieved, 
and  a  satisfactory  glass  was  produced,  thus  making  it 
possible  for  the  chemist  to  accurately  determine  the 
atomic  weights  of  various  sub- 
stances. 

The    chemical    processes    in- 
volved   in   determining   atomic 


Eighty-four 


weights  constitute  a  delicate  ^^ ^ 

task.  The  substance  must  be 
first  prepared  and  weighed  in 
the  pure  state,  and  must  then 
be  subjected  to  suitable  reac- 
tions and  again  weighed  with 
proof  that  in  the  process  noth- 
ing has  been  lost  and  nothing 

accidentally  garnered  into  the  material  to  be  placed  on 
the  scales.  These  requirements  among  other  things 
require  a  glass  the  production  of  which  is  a  technical 
problem  of  the  first  rank,  and  even  today  considerable 
variation  is  still  to  be  found  in  the  various  makes  of 
laboratory  ware. 

This  company  produces  a  glass  which  is  eminently 
suitable  for  analytical  work,  since  it  gives  up  no  appre- 
ciable quantity  of  alkali  even  after  prolonged  boiling. 
This   glass    resists   not    only    gradual    heating,    which 
almost   any   glass    will 
stand,  but  also  violent  m- 

and  sudden  changes  of 
temperature  — in  other 
words  having  a  low 
coefficient  of  expansion. 
Alkaliesandacidshavea 
negligible  effect  upon  it. 


Eighty-five 


MISCELLANEOUS 
GLASS 


N  addition  to  the  glasses  which  have  been 
described  there  are  many  other  kinds  for 
special  purposes,  made  by  this  company, 
which  cannot  be  placed  under  broad  class- 
ifications. A  few  of  these  are  sufficiently 
interesting  and  important  to  warrant  their  mention  here. 
The  glass  condenser  jars  used  in  connection  with  the 
more  powerful  types  of  wireless  sending  apparatus  are 
made  of  a  special  glass,  which  will  withstand  the 
tremendous  shock  of  electrical  currents  from  high 
frequency.  This  is  an  unusual  glass,  the  successful 
making  of  which  was  not  dreamed  of  a  few  years  ago. 

An  American  company  utilizing  large 
vats  for  distilling  purposes  was  in  a  quan- 
dary a  few  years  ago  because  of  frequent  re- 
placements of  the  observation  glass  through 
which  the  contents  of  the  vat  are  observed. 
The  glass  which  was  used  lasted  but  a  few 
days,  because  of  its  inability  to  resist  a 
chemical  action  of  the  contents,  sudden 
changes  of  temperature,  and  corroding 
action  which  caused  the  glass  to  become 
obscured.  To  meet  these  unusual  and  se- 
vere conditions  this  company  invented  a 
glass  which  resists  not  only  the  chemical  condenser  jar 


Eighty-six 


action  of  the  contents  of  the  vat,  but  in  addition  will 
not  break  when  subjected  to  sudden  changes  of  temper- 
ature. The  use  of  the  special  glass  has  resulted  in 
reducing  the  cost  of  production  through  the  fact  that 
it  is  now  possible  to  keep  the  vats  in  operation  almost 
continuously. 

In  coal  mines,  where  electric  lights  are  not  used, 
accidents  have  occurred  due  to  defects  in  the  glasses 
used  in  miners'  safety  lamps.  A  miners'  safety  lamp 
glass  has  been  produced  by  this  company  which  will 
not  fall  to  pieces,  or  even  permit  the  passage  of  air 
through  a  crack  in  this  glass.  The  introduction  of  this 
glass  has  no  doubt  averted  many  mining  catastrophes 
that  have  so  often  in  the  past  formed  terrible  blots 
upon  the  pages  of  the  history  of  coal  mining. 


Flame  Test 

Miners'  Safety  Lamp  Glass 
Flame  can  play  indefinitely  against  glass  without  breaking  it 


Eighty-seven 


AUTOMOB]  LE 


LENSES 


^ 
--.. :•.•?>;  • 


HE   alarming    increase    in   the  number  of 
automobile  accidents  in  the  United  States 
caused   by  glaring   automobile  headlights 
definitely  established  the  necessity  for  this 
light  to  be  controlled  in  a  way  to  eliminate 
dangerous  glare  and  to  provide  at  the  same  time  the 
long  range  and  side  lighting  necessary  for  safe  driving. 
The  engineering  skill  which  produced  the  wonderful 
lighthouse    lenses    made    by    this    company    wras   con- 
centrated on  the  problem  with  the  result  that  "Macbeth 
Green  Visor"  and  "Liberty"  lenses  are  giv- 
ing the  same  measure  of  safety  to  motorists 
as  Macbeth  lighthouse  lenses  are  giving 
to   travelers    upon    the 
ocean  and  inland  waters. 
More    than     1,000,000 
automobiles     are     now 
equipped  with  headlight 
lenses    made    by  the 
Macbeth-Evans    Glass 


Macbeth  Lens  Company. 


Liberty  Lens 


Eighty-eight 


List  of  Products 


HE  following  is  a  list  of  articles  made 
by  this  company,  reproduced  to  give  a 
general  idea  of  the  ramification  of  glass 
making.  It  will  also  serve  to  acquaint  the 
reader  with  the  reason  why  80%  of  the  pro- 
duction of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company  went  to 
the  government  during  the  recent  war. 

July  14,  1918,  Commodore  Denig  gave  the  com- 
mand to  break  out  the  Emergency  Fleet  Flag  at  the 
Charleroi  Works.  This  date  to  future  generations  will 
be  a  reminder  that  the  264  employees  of  the  Macbeth- 
Evans  Glass  Company  who  served  in  Army  and  Navy, 
and  those  who  remained  at  essential  tasks  at  home, 
contributed  in  no  small  way  to  bring  the  war  to  a 
successful  conclusion. 


Flag  Raising,  July  14.  1918 


Eighty-nine 


Lamp  Chimneys  for  domestic  use. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  railroads. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  lighthouses. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  steamships. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  street  lighting. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  gas  mantle  burners. 

Lantern  Globes. 

Lantern  Globes  for  use  as  signals  on  railroads. 

Lighting  Fixture  Glassware. 

Globes  for  street  lighting. 

Shades  for  street  lighting. 

Reflectors  for  street  lighting. 

Globes  for  Welsbach  and  other  gas  mantle  burners. 

Shades  for  Welsbach  and  other  gas  mantle  burners. 

Laboratory  Glassware. 

Tumblers. 

Lubricator  Glasses — used  on  gas  and  steam  stationary 
engines,  locomotives  and  steamships. 

Miners'  Glasses — used  in  miners'  safety  lamps  in  all 
gaseous  mines. 

Gauge  Glasses,  flat  (oblong  and  round) — used  on  all 
steam  gauges  on  stationary  boilers,  locomotives,  and 
by  the  Navy  on  nearly  all  war  vessels. 

Gauge  Glasses,  tubular — used  on  all  steam  gauges  on 
stationary  boilers,  locomotives,  and  by  the  Navy  on 
nearly  all  war  vessels. 

Protector  Glasses — used  on  tubular  gauges,  on  station- 
ary boilers,  on  locomotives,  and  by  the  Navy  to 
protect  firemen  and  engineers  from  escaping  steam 
caused  by  the  breaking  of  tubular  gauge  glasses. 

Observation  Glasses — used  in  the  manufacture  of 
chemicals. 

Glass  Sponge  Cups  for  holding  sponges  for  office  use. 

Reflectors  for  automobile  and  truck  headlights. 

Reflectors  for  household  use  in  connection  with  old- 
fashioned  wall  brackets. 


Ninety 


Shades  for  railroad  use. 

Founts  for  side  wall  brackets  for  household  use. 

Bowls  for  use  in  railroad  cars. 

Plates  for  use  in  stove  doors. 

Meter  Covers  for  gas  meters. 

Dental  Glassware  for  spittoons  in  dental  chairs. 

Globes  for  collection  boxes. 

Globes  used  in  flour  mills. 

Globes  for  electric  sign  use. 

Globes  for  water  filters. 

Globes  for  sterilizers. 

Cylinders  for  carburetors  on  automobiles  and  trucks. 

Cylinders  for  electric  meters. 

Globes  for  ship  lights  and  in  tunnels. 

Bowls  for  ship  lights. 

Cylinders  for  airplanes. 

Lenses,  in  colors,  for  airplanes. 

Cups  to  collect  oil  drippings  in  lamps  used  in  railroad 

coaches. 

Bull's-eyes  for  advertising  signs. 
Bull's-eyes  for  lanterns. 

Globes  used  as  containers  in  dispensing  gasoline. 
Candle  Globes  for  ecclesiastical  use. 
Bottles  for  milk  testing. 
Glass  bowls  for  automobile  lighting. 
Glasses  for  dispensing  paper  cups. 
Lenses  for  lightships. 

Mirrors  for  searchlights  for  the  Army  and  the  Navy. 
Ship  Light  Glasses — used  on  vessels — masthead,  port, 

starboard  and  running  lights. 
Buoy    Light    Glasses — used    on    buoys    for    marking 

channels  along  coast. 
Lenses  for  lighthouses. 

Lenses  for  automobiles,  trucks  and  motorcycles. 
Lenses  for  railroad  signals. 

Ninety-one 


Lenses  for  locomotive  headlight  use. 

Battery  Jars,  of  special  quality  of  heat-resisting  glass, 
for  the  operation  of  block  signals  on  nearly  all 
United  States  Railroads  and  in  Europe. 

Relay  Covers  for  covering  apparatus  for  operating 
signals  on  railroads  and  water  meters. 

Glazing  Glasses  for  polishing  leather. 

Globes  for  Pintsch  and  other  railroad  passenger  car 
lighting  systems. 

Cab  Globes  for  illuminating  locomotive  gauges. 

Candle  Globes  for  railroad  passenger  cars  and  cabooses. 

Lamp  Chimneys  for  locomotive  headlight  and  passenger 
car  use. 

Headlight  Front  Glasses,  of  special  quality  glass,  for 
locomotive  headlights. 

Elevator  Signal  Glasses. 

Vacuum  Bottles  for  Thermos  and  other  vacuum  bottles. 

Mantle  Formers — used  in  the  manufacture  of  gas 
mantles. 

Glasses  for  coffee  percolators. 

Glasses  for  vending  machines. 

Glass  Bushings  for  bell  cords  and  whistle  cords  in  rail- 
road coaches. 

Globes  used  in  chemical  manufacture. 

Globes  for  medicinal  use. 

Tubes  for  Ozone  machines. 

Globes  for  water  heaters. 

Jars  to  contain  tobacco. 

Plates  for  dental  chairs. 

Holders  for  cotton  for  dental  chairs. 

Glasses  for  automatic  milking  machines 


Ninety-two 


Toward  Tomorrow 


HERE  are  comparatively  few  prosperous 
businesses  a  half  century  old.  This  will 
not  seem  astonishing  when  we  consider 
that  our  country  is  still  young  in  the 
world's  history.  The  pardonable  pride  of 
the  Macbeth-Evans  organization,  because 
of  its  long  and  successful  career,  is  tempered  by  the 
responsibilities  thrust  upon  those  whose  duty  it  is  to 
maintain  the  carefully  fashioned  individuality  which 
has  distinguished  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company 
since  its  founding.  The  personnel  changes,  but  those 
intangible  but  nevertheless  potential  forces — the  spirit 
and  ideals  of  the  founders,  together  with  the  traditions 
of  the  company — remain  to  mark  the  course  for  those 
upon  whom  rests  the  responsibility  of  preserving 
Macbeth-Evans  standards. 

In  the  growth  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  Glass  Company 
the  value  of  knowledge  gained  by  intimate  contact  with 
the  intricate  problems  of  the  business  has  been  carefully 
emphasized.  It  is  this  tradition  which  has  made  possi- 
ble many  of  the  achievements  of  glass  making  recorded 
in  the  preceding  pages. 

The  earliest  effort  produced  an  incomparable  lamp 
chimney.  The  same  high  standards  of  progressive 
manufacturing  gave  to  the  world  at  a  later  date  Alba, 
the  original  white  diffusing  glass.  It  is  seemingly  a  far 
cry  from  a  modest  lamp  chimney  to  that  marvel  of  the 
glassmakers'  art,  the  lighthouse  lens,  yet  the  success- 
ful manufacture,  for  the  first  time  in  the  United  States, 
of  lighthouse  lenses,  by  this  company,  was  a  natural 
development,  a  visible  tribute  to  the  fifty-year  tested 
ideals  and  policies  of  the  Macbeth-Evans  organization. 
It  is  in  the  contemplation  of  a  successful  past  that 
we  find  the  best  augury  for  a  successful  future. 


Ninety-three 


We  are  indebted  to  the  Pennsylvania 
Museum  of  Philadelphia  for  their  courtesy 
in  allowing  us  to  use  the  following  illustra- 
tions found  on  pages  19,  20  and  21:  Glass 
Beads  made  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  1621-1625; 
Stiegel  Glass  Tumbler  and  Molded  Bottle, 
Early  Nineteenth  Century,  and  to  the 
Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  for 
several  illustrations  in  the  Historical  Section. 


Ninety-jour 


SOUTHERN  BR-  .  :- 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

LIBRARY, 

C. -C/- -'"«--• 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


CT  28  1839 


Form  L-9-15w-7,'35 


TP 

853 

P5M1 

Fifty  years   of 
lasss 


TP 

853 

P3M1 


A 001189481     3 


